A New Life Together
by FuryanJedi13
Summary: A series of drabbles about Cortana's new life with John after an experiment makes her human.
1. Author's note

Author's note:

Hey, I just thought I'd smooth a few things over before we get into the actual piece.

Basically, after the events of Halo 3, John and Cortana were able to return home. Dr Halsey and the surviving Spartans (both series II and III) were also able to escape from Onyx and make it back to Earth. I'm not even bothering about how they got back, so feel free to use your imagination and come up with your own theories.

Anyway, after returning, Cortana does not have much time left, but they find out about an experiment that allows them to transfer her consciousness into a human body. So they clone a body for her (using Dr Halsey's DNA as a template) and make the transfer.

So now, Cortana is human, and this series of drabbles deals with her experiencing all the wonderful new things available to her. Things that most humans tend to take for granted. But the main thing, of course, is her relationship with John. I'm pretty sure you can understand where I am heading with this (wink, wink). What can I say? I'm a romantic.

Anyway, these are drabbles, so none of them are that long. Hope you enjoy them!


	2. Awakening

**I. Awakening**

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Cortana opened her eyes. Much of the world was still out of focus. Blurry objects drifted in and out of her view. She blinked a couple of times in an attempt to clear things. Gradually, the blurry objects coalesced into sharp, clear images, and she began to have a clearer idea as to where she was, and how she got there.

Cortana raised her right hand and held it in front of her face, turning every possible way to get a view from all angles. She then raised her left hand and studied it in the same manner. Cortana then touched her hands to her face, feeling the softness covering the hardness of the bone, the curve of her cheeks, lips and nose, the slim contour of her eyebrows and the slight tickling sensation of her eyelashes.

These were all simple actions that most people would have taken for granted. But for Cortana, it was an entirely new experience. Until now, she had lived her entire existence as a hologram, unable to experience the very sensation of touch. All these new feelings were amazing to feel.

Cortana moved her hands upwards, running her fingers through her hair. She wondered how she would wear it. Perhaps the same style as her hologram? She continued to run her fingers through her hair until she came to the back of her neck. There, hidden just underneath the hairline, was a small scar.

It was here that a small cable had been inserted into the brain, and it was through this cable that Cortana's consciousness and coding had been transferred into her new and permanent home. Afterwards, the cable had been removed, and the hole had been sealed and stitched up. Cortana felt along the scar. It was actually quite small, and would mostly be covered up by hair, so it would not be too obvious.

Cortana slowly eased herself into a sitting position. It was at this point that she looked down and saw the rest of her body for the first time. She was wearing a medical gown, and quickly realised that was all she was wearing. She felt a flush of embarrassment, but quickly got over it. She supposed that after all those years of being a "naked" holographic avatar, modesty was not really an issue for her.

Any further musings would need to wait, however, as the door to the room slid open and Dr Catherine Halsey walked in, carrying what appeared to be some clothes and a pair of running shoes with white socks.

"Hello Cortana," Dr Halsey said in a gentle voice. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, I guess," Cortana replied, testing out her vocal chords for the first time. She noticed that her voice was virtually identical to what she had when she was an AI. "My throat feels kind of dry though."

"You must be thirsty," replied Dr Halsey. She went to the basin and filled a cup with clear water. She held it out to Cortana. "Drink this. You need to get your fluid levels up anyway." Cortana tentatively took the cup, raised it to her lips and took a small sip. The feeling of the cool liquid running over her tongue and down her throat was something that she had never experienced before, and it was both soothing and relishing.

Dr Halsey took the cup and handed Cortana the bundle of clothes and the shoes. "Put these on," she said. "John is on his way here and you should get ready for him." A smile tugged at Cortana's mouth at the mention of John's name.

The doctor left the room, and Cortana went about putting the clothes on. However, when she first placed her feet on the floor she stumbled a bit. She had never had to deal with the sensation of weight before, and now that she did, she nearly had her legs give way under her. Fortunately she quickly overcame it and put the clothes on. They consisted of cotton pants, a t-shirt, and a hooded zip-up sweater. With the exception of the white T-shirt, they were all grey in colour. Afterwards, she put on the socks and shoes. She was about to tie up the laces when she suddenly realised that she did not know how to. She found that quite ironic. Until just a few hours ago, she had been the most advanced Artificial Intelligence the UNSC had ever created, and yet she had never learnt how to tie shoelaces, or a great deal other simple tasks as well.

Cortana was still trying to figure out how when Dr Halsey came back into the room. Seeing the former AI having problems with the laces, the doctor offered to tie them. Cortana gratefully accepted. Afterwards, Dr Halsey announced "John's here."

All of a sudden, Cortana found herself blushing. She looked down at the clothes she was wearing and then back up. She found herself quickly running her fingers through her hair. "Do I look okay?" she asked rather sheepishly.

Dr Halsey gave her a kind smile. "You look fine dear. Now come on." She held out her hand. Cortana stopped fidgeting, grabbed the doctor's hand, and allowed her to lead her out of the room.

---

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**So, was that an OK start?**


	3. First Embrace

**II. First Embrace**

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John sat in the waiting room just outside the lab. He was extremely nervous, and he would not lie to himself or anyone if they asked; he was worried about Cortana. He had been for the last few weeks, ever since she began to behave strangely. Going through the first stages of rampancy had caused her skills in calculation, computing and near-perfect recall to decrease noticeably. And considering how her skills in those areas were practically flawless and infallible, this was definitely a big matter.

This new kind of experiment by the UNSC's brightest engineers, biologists and geneticists could not have come at a more perfect moment. Now they had the ability to perfectly clone a fully-grown human in a matter of days, apparently without the slightest chance of developing the cancers and neurological deficiencies the previous clones were susceptible to. Not only that, but they had developed the ability to transfer the consciousness of a person from one brain to another. And since Cortana had been created from the patterns of a living brain, it seemed entirely possible for them to perform the operation on her.

Cortana could live again. _Truly_ live, this time.

Still, John worried. What if something happened to Cortana? What if the rampancy that had plagued her in recent days had also somehow crossed over into her new solid body? Would that result in her acting crazy for the rest of her existence? What if her brain was somehow damaged, leaving her as some mentally handicapped individual confined to a wheelchair, or something? Or worse, what if-?

Fortunately, John's negative thoughts were interrupted when Dr Halsey stepped out into the waiting room, and they were gone altogether when he saw the bright smile on her face. Obviously, things had turned out fine. Nonetheless, the first question he had to ask was; "Doctor, is Cortana alright?"

Dr Halsey gave John a reassuring smile. "She is perfectly fine, John," she replied, placing a comforting hand on his arm. "The operation was a complete success, and her consciousness was entirely transferred. She is now a fully functional human being, though she may need some help in getting used to all the things human beings have to do." Here John gave a relieved sigh. "She is awake now. Would you like to see her?"

John nodded. Dr Halsey could not help but notice that his nod seemed somewhat eager, but of course, she did not draw attention to it. She simply asked him to wait where he was, then turned to go back into the lab.

Now John found himself overcome with a different kind of nervousness. His relationship with Cortana would be kind of different now. She would not be able to perform the kind of tasks that she usually did, nor would she be able to join him on missions, as she could no longer be carried by his armour. But on the plus side, they could now be physically closer, and he could actually hold her in his arms. Of course, that would require them to actually have feelings for each other in the first place.

John sighed. He might as well stop lying to himself. Of course he had feelings for her. He had for a long time. Why else would he have risked his own life to infiltrate a Flood-infested High Charity to look for her? To retrieve the Index? That may have been his official reason, but deep down, he knew it was to save her, the holographic woman that somehow managed to capture his heart, which he had long thought no longer existed.

And now that she was human, so many other possibilities had opened up, and he found himself both scared and excited about them.

The door to the lab opened, and John looked up as two women walked out. The first was Dr Halsey, of course, but it was the second much younger woman that caught his attention. He drew in a quick breath, taking in her appearance for what was essentially the first time.

"Cortana…" he started, then trailed off as he found himself completely tongue-tied at seeing her.

As a hologram, Cortana had looked like a younger version of Dr Halsey. It seemed appropriate, since the doctor was her creator. So, when they were creating Cortana's new body, they had used Halsey's DNA as a template. As a result, the new human Cortana not only looked just like her old hologram, she actually looked like Dr Halsey's daughter.

And she was so beautiful.

Cortana shyly smiled at John's apparent inability to speak to her. She giggled. "John, are you going to say something or just stand there gawking?"

John felt himself flush a little. "Sorry," he said. "It's just that… I never thought this day would ever happen. I never thought you'd become a human."

"I never thought this day would happen either," Cortana replied. "I always thought that I'd live my seven years as an AI, then reach the end of my lifespan and shut down. This feels like some kind of dream. I'm afraid that I will wake up at any moment, and the dream will be over."

"I didn't know AI's could dream." John stepped closer to her.

Cortana looked up at him. "They can, actually. I used to have dreams all the time."

John gave her a slight smile. "Well, I know I'm awake too, so this must be real." He reached out and gently grabbed her hand. With his other hand, he brushed some of her hair back off her face. "And if this is a dream, let us make a promise to each other that we never wake up from it."

Cortana's bright blue eyes shone with absolute happiness. "That sounds wonderful, John," she said softly before letting him wrap his arms around her.

---

**So, do you think it's sweet enough? ;)**


	4. Under the Stars

**First of all, thanks to mellombror and Timewatch! Your reviews gave me a much needed confidence boost! Keep reading, and I'll keep writing my friends! Also, if you have any ideas for some drabbles, send them my way. I might not write them, but they might give me inspiration!**

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**III. Under the Stars**

The sun was dipping below the horizon as dusk came at the end of Cortana's first day as a human. After she had been discharged from the scientific facility where the transfer had taken place, John and Dr Halsey had spent most of the day helping Cortana get used to some of the finer aspects of being human. John was grateful for the doctor's presence, especially as there were some things that probably needed to be kept between women.

At the end of the day, the three had returned to the doctor's home for dinner. Cortana had been rather fascinated with the whole sensation of taste, which was understandable. As an AI, she had been able to see and hear, but had limited abilities with the other three senses. Now that she was able to experience taste, she had wanted to try as many different foods as possible, but John and Dr Halsey assured her to take it easy, so as not to make herself sick.

After dinner, the three sat in the living room, simply chatting. Cortana could not remember ever feeling this happy. She was now human! And she was spending the day with the man who she loved, and the woman who was in every respect her mother.

As things wound down, John and Cortana went outside to the back yard. They sat on a bench, with him placing an arm around her, and her snuggling up against him, and they looked up at the night sky.

Dr Halsey actually had numerous residences. Most of them were located at research and development facilities that often required its personnel to be there for days at a time. However, her actual home was located in a small town not far from the city. Being away from the bright lights of built-up civilisation allowed the people there to have clear views of the night sky, uninterrupted by light pollution. This was the view that John and Cortana had at the moment, sitting in the back yard.

"You know," Cortana began, "I remember looking up at the stars before, either as a hologram, or from inside your helmet. I used to think that the stars would seem prettier if I could actually look at them with real eyes."

"And now you can," said John. He looked down at her. "So do they seem prettier to you now?"

Cortana continued looking up at the sky. "I think they do, yes," she admitted. She then turned her head to look at John. Even in the darkness, her blue eyes seemed to shine brightly at him. "But I think it's all the more special that I'm looking at them with you."

John felt a smile forming on his lips. "To me, every moment is special when I am with you."

Cortana felt herself flush. "You say the most wonderful things," she said, placing her hand on the side of his face. They moved their faces closer together, and before they knew it, her lips were pressed against his. They closed their eyes, reveling in the sensation, and feeling as though they were the only two people in the universe.

Eventually, John and Cortana parted when they both needed air. Opening their eyes, they looked at each other lovingly. "Wow," Cortana breathed. "I always wondered what my first kiss would be like."

John raised an eyebrow. "And how long have you been wondering about that, exactly? You've only been a human since this morning."

Cortana flushed again. "Well, I've actually been fascinated with it for quite a while. At first I thought it seemed kind of a silly thing to do. But then I started to see it differently. It's a way in which two people can not only express their love for each other, but also to just ignore the rest of the world for a brief moment, and feel only each other. It's something that I've always wanted to experience." She looked him directly in the eye. "But I knew that it would be with you. After all, you are the only man for me."

John smiled warmly. "Well, I'm going to make sure that I will be the only man you will kiss from now on." He leaned closer to her.

"That's fine by me," Cortana responded before her lips were once again claimed by his. After pulling apart for the second time, they leaned back on the bench and once again looked up at the stars.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" Cortana said. "You've spent your entire life up there, on distant planets, fighting and killing. Whole planets laid to waste by an seemingly unstoppable enemy. Not only that, but the Halos are out there among the stars; giant weapons capable of wiping out every living being in this galaxy. And to top it all off, when you combine how much both the humans and the former Covenant have discovered, there are still vast areas of this galaxy that we have not explored." She stopped to catch her breath. "And yet, from here, they look like tiny points of light, so innocent and unassuming. So far away. They tell nothing of what could be hiding out amongst them."

"I know," said John. "When I was a kid, I used to lie on my back looking up at the night sky. I was so fascinated by the stars, and I used to wonder what could possibly be out there. Of course, now I know some of what is out there, and I don't really like it. Some of it gives me nightmares." He shuddered, and Cortana wrapped her arms around him just a little bit tighter. "But, that doesn't make me think they are any less beautiful. I love their light, their natural beauty." He looked down at the woman in his arms. "And if you were a star, you would be the brightest and most beautiful one in the sky."

Cortana felt a tear streaming from the corner of her eye; something she had never physically felt before. She felt like saying something in response, but her words failed her. And yet, she knew that no words needed to be said. She just continued smiling as John gently wiped the tear from her face, then brought his face down to hers once more.

As the two lovers kissed again, Dr Halsey watched them secretly from the back door with a smile on her face. At the same time, in the night sky, the stars themselves seemed to smile as well, shining brightly down on the loving couple.

---

**Well, that's my first "first kiss" scene. (Although by my count, they actually kissed three times. Oh well, who cares?!)**

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed this! Next one will be up soon.  
**


	5. In the Rain

**IV. In the Rain**

Cortana stood at the back door of Halsey's house, looking outside into the pouring rain. The day had started out somewhat cloudy, and the weather reports indicated that some rain was to be expected. But that was something of an understatement. The rain had indeed come around the middle of the afternoon, but instead of the small amount expected, it had started pouring down torrentially.

Now, Cortana was standing at the back door, looking out at the rain. John had stood by, watching her and wondering why she found it so interesting. Eventually, he came over to stand next to her.

"Watching the rain?"

Cortana noticed the somewhat exaggerated casual tone in his voice, and gave him a quick eye-roll before responding. "Yes, I am, as a matter of fact."

John gave a quick huff of laughter. "I don't know why you are so interested in it. I mean, it's just rain. It's not like you haven't seen it before."

"I know. But like I've told you, everything I used to see and hear, I did so from inside your armour or from a hologram pedestal. I've never actually experienced it as a human being. It just seems to take on a whole new dimension for me. I mean, to most people, it's just rain; something they would prefer not to get stuck in. When it comes, they duck indoors as quickly as they can. And yet, it's a vital part of nature's cycle. It keeps the grass and plants fed, provides water for us to drink, and helps the cycle of life continue."

John thought for a moment. "I guess you're right there," he admitted. "I just never really thought about it too much."

"Neither did I. I only just started thinking about it now." Cortana stopped talking, and continued to look out into the rain. John did the same.

After a couple more minutes, Cortana turned to John. "What does rain feel like?"

The question threw John, and he struggled for a few seconds to get an answer. "Uh… I… um… well, I guess it's a bit like a shower, except that it's outdoors," he answered a bit lamely. "To be honest, most of the time when it rained, I was wearing my armour. And the times when I wasn't wearing it, I just didn't pay any attention to it." This was understandable, since the Spartans had been trained from a young age to operate in any weather or environment.

Cortana hummed in thought for a moment. Then she reached out, slid the door open, and stepped outside.

"Cortana, what are you doing?" John asked in surprise.

She looked back at him. "I want to know what it feels like," she said, then walked out into the torrential downpour.

John opened his mouth to protest, but instead just gave an exasperated sigh, then followed Cortana outside. She walked out into the middle of the back yard and simply stood there, her head tilted up so that she was looking at the sky. She held her arms out, as if to catch the drops of water in her hands. John came to stand beside Cortana. He looked at her face. Though her eyes were closed, her face had an expression of happiness and wonder on it.

"It feels amazing, John," Cortana said with a smile. John could not help but smile as well, because he knew in his heart that she was truly revelling in the experience of being human. And that didn't just make her happy, it made him happy as well.

John took Cortana in his arms, causing her to open her bright blue eyes and look up at him. He gazed down at her tenderly, and leaned down to kiss her. Cortana responded by wrapping her arms around him and returning the kiss. All they felt was the rain and each other.

---

Later, John and Cortana were snuggled together under a blanket in front of the fireplace. After standing in the rain for a while, they had decided to head back inside. But Dr Halsey did not want them getting water on her floor, so she had made them stay out on the back deck, dripping wet, while she got them some towels and dry clothes. After drying themselves off, John and Cortana had changed into the new clothes, and gone back inside. Cortana had still been a little cold so, with Dr Halsey's permission, John had gotten some blankets, lit a fire, and then disappeared into the kitchen. He returned moments later with two mugs of hot chocolate.

Now Cortana snuggled up against John underneath the blankets, her mug clasped in her hands, and basking in the warmth of the fire. She gave a sigh of pure happiness as she rested her head against the Spartan's shoulder.

"You warm now?" John asked, and received a contented nod in response. He smiled warmly at her. "I hope you enjoyed standing in the rain, because now you should know what happens when you do."

"What?" Cortana replied with a smile after taking another sip of her hot chocolate. "I spend a few moments out in the pouring rain, making out with the man I love, before changing into some dry clothes, then snuggling with him in front of a warm fire drinking hot chocolate? If so, we should do it again, because it seems so romantic."

John opened his mouth to retort, then closed it and smiled. "Well, I was going to say something different, but yours is much better."

"Mmmm," Cortana murmured in response, closing her eyes and nuzzling John's neck. He gently took the mug from her hands, and placed it along with his on the nearby table. He wrapped his arms around Cortana, and gently held her as she drifted off to sleep.

---

**This is actually a tribute to something from my life. When I was little, whenever it rained I would pull up a chair and sit at the back door, and just watch the rain come down. I guess I was just intrigued and fascinated it (except I never went out and got soaked). I figured that Cortana (who never had a physical body before) would be interested in something like the rain, and I just went from there.**


	6. Girl's Day Out

**Hey, I'm back! Sorry for the long wait. Anyway, I hope you like this little one. It's an attempt at light-hearted humour.**

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**V. Girl's Day Out**

It seemed like a typical day on the UNSC base. Though it was peacetime, the cogs of the military machine never ceased to function, and the Spartans still had their parts to play. Although today, only the male Spartans were on base.

"So where are Kelly and Linda again?" Fred asked as he cleaned his rifle.

"They're having a day out with Cortana," John replied as he worked on his MJOLNIR armour.

"Oh really?" Fred asked. "What are they doing?"

John shrugged. "I don't know exactly, apparently they said they were doing 'girl stuff'. I don't know what that means exactly."

Fred looked up and chuckled before turning back to his gun. He then did a double take and looked up again, this time focusing on something behind John. "Uh… I think I might have an idea."

John raised his head. "What do you mean?"

Fred pointed to something behind John, causing him to turn around. What he saw surprised him.

Cortana was heading towards him, with Kelly and Linda flanking her. That in itself was not a surprise, but their attire definitely was. The three of them all wore trendy designer clothes with expensive-looking shoes, and had bags with the names and logos of various clothing stores on them. Cortana was wearing blue denim jeans and a matching blue t-shirt, all of which was fitted to her curvaceous figure. Linda wore an orange sundress that actually brought out her red hair, and Kelly wore a faded blue denim skirt and a flowing grey top which was off her left shoulder.

All three women looked rather glamorous, a far cry from their usual military attire, and as they walked, they passed several male soldiers, all of whom turned to stare at them. Some of them had their mouths hanging open. Cortana was still as attractive as her hologram was, and despite being in their 40s, neither Kelly or Linda looked a day over 30, thanks to their augmentations, rigorous physical training regimens, and extended time in cryo.

The three women sauntered up to Fred and John. "Hey boys," Cortana chirped happily.

"Where exactly have you three gone?" John asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Relax Johnny boy," Kelly replied with a grin. "Linda and I were just taking Cortana out to show her what it means to be a woman."

"'What it means to be a woman?'" Fred echoed with a confused look on his face.

"Yeah," Linda cut in, "you know: pedicures, mochaccinos, nice clothes, and, of course, shoes!"

"Not to mention getting a very nice facial," Cortana added.

"Oh tell me about it! My pores just feel so clear now!" Kelly exclaimed, giving her face a rub.

"And just check out the job they did on our nails," Linda added, holding out her hand and showing off her nails, which were not only finely manicured, but painted in a glossy shade of pink.

"Was there any particular reason as to why you had your nails done?" Fred asked, with his hands on his hips and rolling his eyes. "I mean, will they help you fire your sniper rifle any better?"

Linda smiled, still admiring her nails. "Probably not, but the next time I use my rifle, the finger pulling the trigger will have a finely manicured and nicely painted nail." She bent her index finger, miming the action of pulling a trigger.

John threw his hands out to the side. "Since when have you girls cared about any of this stuff?"

"Oh come on, John," said Kelly. "We've been professional soldiers our whole lives. We've never had the chance to indulge ourselves and really be feminine, so let us do that for once."

"And I'm still new to this whole human thing," Cortana added, "so I'm trying out as many things as possible"

John raised an eyebrow. "Does that include spending all your money on clothes and shoes?"

"Hey, a woman can never have too many shoes," Cortana replied defensively.

"And I for one just love this pair," Kelly said, holding her foot out in front of her, showing off one of her shoes.

Linda spoke up again. "I really liked the other pair you bought. I wish I had gotten a pair for myself."

At this point, John and Fred both rolled their eyes back in their heads and groaned loudly. The women took this as their cue to leave.

"Well," said Cortana, "we'd love to stay and chat, but we've got an appointment to keep."

Fred threw his arms out to the side. "What kind of appointment could you possibly have?"

"Well," Kelly replied, "let's just say that after being stuck in that armour all the time, our skin could use a little bit of sunlight."

"Or the next best thing," Cortana put in.

"So we've booked ourselves into a tanning salon," Linda finished.

John gave an exasperated sigh. "Okay, have fun, you three." He and Fred watched the women saunter off. The two men exchanged an incredulous look, then shook their heads and went back to servicing their equipment.

As the women walked away, Kelly said to the other two, "You know, those guys should probably get a tan themselves."

"Oh absolutely!" Cortana gushed. "John would look SO hot with a tan!"

--

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**I actually got the idea for this from one of the later episodes of Stargate: SG-1. At the beginning of the episode, Carter took Vala on a "girl's day out", and that inspired me to do this piece. I figured that Cortana needed some female friends, and the Spartans had lived virtually their whole lives at war, so this was a chance for them to loosen up (well, the girls anyway).**

**For the record, I originally had Kelly wearing the orange, and Linda in the grey. But then I remembered that Linda had red hair, and I figured that the orange would go better with that, so I swapped their outfits.**

**And I have an unusual request for you readers. I would actually like to see a drawing (preferably coloured) of these three women in their fashionable outfits, but I am not very good at drawing. If there is anyone out there who is an accomplished artist, and would like to take up this task, feel free to do so, and send me the results.**

**Thank you, and see you next time.  
**


	7. Vision in Blue

**Sorry if it's been a while. Anyway, here's the next one. Hope you like it.**

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**VI. Vision in Blue**

John muttered as he adjusted the collar of his formal suit. It had been just over a year since he and Cortana had been rescued off the _Forward Unto Dawn_, and in that time he had been forced to attend several formal events and galas with some of the top ranking members of the UNSC brass. Of course, the other Spartans had also carried the same burden after escaping Onyx, but for this event, none of them had been available. No, this time it was just him. Just the man known to everybody as the Master Chief.

Still, he supposed he owed it to Cortana. It had only been a few months since the successful operation to transfer her consciousness into her newly cloned human body. Since the transfer, Cortana had been eager to try out as many human experiences as possible. When she had found out that John was permitted to bring along one guest, if he chose to do so, she had begged him to let her come. John reluctantly agreed, and Cortana had spent the last day with Dr Halsey, getting prepared. The doctor herself had received an invitation, and she opted to prepare herself as well.

John sighed as he headed towards the door. He had arranged to meet with both Cortana and Dr Halsey at the good doctor's quarters. As he walked out the door, John had the strange sensation that he was feeling a bit like a young man on his way to pick up his date for the prom or end-of-year formal.

_John, don't be an idiot_, he told himself, and stepped out, locking the door behind him.

Arriving at Dr Halsey's quarters, he pressed the door chime. "It's open," he heard Halsey reply. He opened the door and stepped in.

Dr Catherine Halsey stood in the middle of the room, looking rather resplendent herself. She had chosen a green silk dress with long sleeves, a black belt, and a matching green shawl. Her glasses were not part of her ensemble, but her clear blue eyes shone without the slightest bit of visual disability, making John suspect that she was wearing contact lenses. Her hair was in a bun, as it usually was, except that this time it seemed more stylish, and was held in place by green threads, which matched the colour of her dress. She also had a decent amount of makeup on, making her face seem brighter than usual, but not detracting too much from her natural features. To top it off, she wore a pair of black high heels.

All in all, Dr Catherine Halsey managed to look both elegant and matronly, an attractive look for a woman of her age.

Upon seeing John, the doctor smiled. "Ah John, glad to see you. You are looking rather handsome tonight."

"And you look rather lovely yourself," John replied, trying to hide his discomfort at the whole situation. While he meant his compliment, this whole scenario of dressing up in formal attire and attending parties made him feel completely out of his element. He would have much rather been wearing his MJOLNIR armour in the middle of a battlefield, wielding dual sub machine guns, and blowing away enemies left, right and centre. That was where he felt at home. Still, Cortana and the Doctor were perhaps the two most important people in his life, and he had made a promise to them for tonight. And he was someone who kept his promises.

Especially to Cortana. She knew that. The whole event of him storming a Flood-infested High Charity just to find her was the prime example of that.

"Cortana and I have been so busy today," Catherine continued. "We went to several shops, trying on quite a number of dresses. After that, we had to find the right pair of shoes. Cortana managed to find a pair to go with her dress. And then we went to get our hair and makeup done. They even gave us a manicure and pedicure." She gave a smile.

John gave a slight smile in return. "Sounds like you two had quite a bit of fun today," he said.

Catherine nodded. "Yes, we did. Cortana told me about that day out she had with Kelly and Linda a couple of weeks ago, and she wanted me to experience it myself. She practically dragged me out to every store." She turned her head towards the top of the staircase. "Ah, here she comes."

John looked up at the top of the staircase, naturally expecting to see Cortana there, preparing to make her descent. He did, and he found himself to be completely and hopelessly entranced by what he saw.

Cortana wore a strapless blue gown made of a fabric that seemed to flow like water every time she moved. It clung to the curves of her torso, slightly spreading out at the waist, and flowing out around her feet, on which she wore a pair of high-heeled shoes the same colour as her dress. The gown seemed to be the same colour blue as when she was a hologram, and they also made her bright blue eyes stand out more, seeming to shine brightly. Her hair was similar to how she usually wore it, which was also the same as her hologram had been, but now it seemed to shine with a dark luscious sheen, and locks of it framed her smiling face. Completing the ensemble, on each of her arms she wore a couple of bracelets, and around her neck was a simple gold chain.

In simple words, Cortana was an absolute vision of beauty, and John found himself completely tongue-tied as she gracefully made her way down the stairs. Fortunately, he managed to get his mouth back into working order before she reached the bottom.

"Hello, John," said Cortana, giving him a smile that made her eyes seem to shine brighter than usual.

John felt his heart skip a beat. "Cortana," he breathed, "you look so beautiful." Cortana put a hand to her mouth and giggled, turning away a little as she started to blush.

Catherine smiled at the whole scene. "Come on, you two," she said. "We'd better get going, or we're going to be late."

John held out his arm to Cortana, and she linked hers through it. He gave her a smile and said, "I promise you that we'll all have a good time."

Cortana smiled back. "I will hold you to that promise, John," she teased.

John then held out his other arm for the doctor. With the two beautiful Halsey women linked on each of his arms, the Master Chief was ready to go to the party.

--

**Hope you like this one. And, like with the last drabble, if any artist out there wishes to draw this scene, please do so. I, for one, think that Cortana would indeed look very beautiful in her dress, and I would like to see it. (Shame I can't draw)**

**Anyway, sorry to say, but this will be the last one for the year. I'm going on holidays with my family, and so I'll be unable to update until January.**

**But I hope you have a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year! (Not to mention a new DECADE as well! We're out of the 00's and into the 10's now!)**


	8. Sick

**Hey everybody! Sorry that I did not update sooner, but things have been a bit hectic around here. Anyway, to make up for it, I've decided to upload two at a time.**

**By the way, I just got _Halo Legends_, and let me tell you, it really alters your perception of the Halo universe!  
**

**This one takes place some time after the party in the last chapter. Hope you enjoy it.**

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**Sick**

Cortana felt absolutely terrible. She had been feeling this way for several days now. It had started a few evenings ago with a sore throat. She had gone to bed hoping that the problem would be better by the morning, but instead, it had just gotten steadily worse. The next morning, her throat was so sore that it hurt to speak. In addition to that, she had a fever, her sinuses were congested, she had aches all over her body, and was shivering uncontrollably.

It seemed that even in the middle of the 26th Century, human beings were still susceptible to the flu. And Cortana knew that when she made the transition from hologram to human, illness was one of the less appealing aspects that she would have to get used to. Sure, she may have had to deal with more than her fair share of computer viruses back when she was still an AI, but they were nothing compared with the sort of viruses that could do a number on the human body. So, for the last few days, Cortana had been confined to bed, while John had tended to her needs and gave her medicine.

Fortunately, Cortana's condition had gotten better in the last few days, though she was far from healthy. At the moment, she sat on the couch in their living room, a blanket wrapped around her. As she blew her nose on a tissue for what seemed like the fiftieth time, John came into the room, holding a glass in his hand. Looking at it, Cortana immediately knew that it was warm lemon juice with honey; a centuries-old concoction that helped to relieve the symptoms of flu. She had already had a couple of them in the past few days.

Accepting the glass, Cortana looked up at her lover. "How much longer will I have to put up with this damned flu!" she asked, her voice a little more normal-sounding after having just cleared her nose.

John shrugged as he sat down next to Cortana, seeming not the slightest bit concerned about potentially catching the sickness from her. Understandable, since Spartans did not seem to get sick. "Usually people only have the flu for a few days, then they get over it," he answered as she took a sip of her drink. "You seem to be on the mend anyway."

Despite the compliment, Cortana groaned. "It's at times like this, I wish I was still an AI. They don't get sick like this."

"I don't get sick either," John replied.

Cortana did not miss the slight jibe in his voice. "Well duh, John! You're a Spartan!" she growled, glaring at him. "With all your enhancements and augmentations, it seems impossible for any of you guys to get sick."

John gave a wry shrug. "The price you pay for being one of the saviours of humanity," he joked.

Apparently Cortana was not that amused, as she gave him an annoyed slap on his arm, then leaned back in a somewhat sulking gesture. "I wish I was a Spartan, then," she pouted.

John sighed, then placed an arm around Cortana's shoulder, gently drawing her closer and resting her head on his own shoulder. "Don't worry, Cortana. In a few days, you'll be back to your usual energetic self. You just have to get used to the fact that you will get sick from time to time. That's part of being human. And human is what you are now." He looked down at Cortana, who looked back up at him. Her eyes seemed wearier than usual, and were slightly bloodshot, but the blue in them shone as clear as ever.

"I guess you're right, John. But what about things like chicken pox or mumps? You can only get that once, but I've heard that it's best to have that when you're young, as it can be dangerous for adults. And my body is that of an adult."

John smiled at her. "I've already talked to Dr Halsey about that. You have nothing to worry about."

Cortana frowned up at him. "What do you mean?"

John explained, "The reason you only have things like chicken pox or mumps once is because your body develops antibodies to cure the sickness. Afterwards, these antibodies stay in your system, making it impossible for the disease to re-infect you. Dr Halsey already had the sicknesses when she was a child, so she has those antibodies. And since your body was cloned from hers, then those same antibodies are already in your system too."

"Really?"

"Yeah. She even did tests on your blood for that. Remember a couple of weeks ago when she took some blood samples from you?"

Cortana processed this. "Well, I may not be as strong as a Spartan, but thanks to my mother, it seems that I'm stronger than most people anyway." She gave a triumphant smile and took another sip of her lemon juice.

John sighed and smiled. "Just take your medicine."

--

**Being sick is not exactly something you can enjoy, isn't it? But since Cortana is human now, I figured she needed to deal with the baggage that comes with it too.  
**


	9. The Night After

**And here's the second chapter I promised you.**

**For the record, this one is not related to the "Sick" one that came before (they're pretty much all stand-alones), and it may get a bit... sensual. Just a fair warning.**

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**The Night After**

**--  
**

Cortana opened one eye, setting it upon the mass of muscle that lay in the bed next to her. Lifting her head up, she opened her other eye, and gave a smile upon seeing the face of the man known to the human race as Master Chief. But to her, he was simply John, and he looked like a man who was sleeping peacefully after a rather eventful night.

Cortana eased herself into a position where she was propped up on her elbows, and stretched her body before settling back down again, the bed sheet draped across her naked form.

Casting her mind back to the previous night, Cortana gave a little giggle, and noted that some parts of her anatomy felt a little sore. But more important that than, she felt _fulfilled_. The night before, she had experienced one of the most wonderful sensations of the human condition. The feeling of two people essentially becoming one through the most intimate of contacts.

The night had started out innocent enough. She and John had simply been enjoying each other's company, holding each other and kissing. Eventually, things became hot and heavy, and their kisses grew more passionate. Cortana's desire had risen dramatically. Here she was with a man whom she had loved with every fibre of her being, and they had yet to effectively give themselves to each other. Eventually both of their feelings and desires had practically reached boiling point, and Cortana had pleadingly whispered in John's ear, "Make love to me." He had picked her up in his arms, and carried her to the bedroom.

John and Cortana spent some time exploring each other's bodies, with their hands and their lips, discovering each other's most sensitive spots. Then came the moment when their bodies became one, and both had felt a pleasure like nothing they had ever felt before. Creating waves of ecstasy that they rode together, Cortana felt that she may very well have died and gone to heaven. They had reached their peak at the same moment, and then collapsed together, their bodies coated in a sheen of sweat. They had fallen asleep this way, his arms wrapped around her.

A few hours later, John and Cortana both woke up, their arms still wrapped around each other. They started kissing, again seeming innocent enough, until Cortana moved her head back to allow John to kiss down her neck. This increased their desire again, and within moments, they were making love for the second time.

Cortana blushed as she reminisced on the extremely pleasurable events of the previous night. Despite feeling a little bit sore, she more importantly felt _whole_, as if joining together with the man she loved so dearly had somehow completed her being. Admittedly, such thoughts seemed a tad sappy, but they nonetheless suited how she felt at that moment.

John stirred in his sleep. Blinking his eyes open and lifting his head off the pillow, he let out a soft groan. Cortana smiled at him flirtatiously. "Good morning, lover boy," she trilled, placing a kiss on his shoulder.

Turning himself on to his side, John smiled back at her. "And a good morning back at you too, my blue eyed angel." This drew a giggle from Cortana. John positioned himself so that he was lying on his back. "Wow. Last night was quite interesting, wasn't it?"

"Mmm, I'll say it was," Cortana purred, running her index finger along his biceps in a seductive manner. "Just when I thought the human experience could not get any better, you show me otherwise."

"I don't suppose you are going to tell me that when you were still an AI, you were always intrigued and fascinated by the whole concept of sex, are you?"

"Oh, maybe a little," the former AI replied coyly. "But to me, it originally seemed like just a process through which the human race could continue its existence. I never really attached the whole concepts of 'pleasure' or even 'love' to it until after I started hanging out with you. Of course, ever since I became human, I have been oh so eager to experience it with you." This last sentence was delivered in a sexy tone of voice.

This tone did not go unnoticed by John. "And was it everything you had hoped for?" he asked with a playful tone of voice.

"Oh yeah," Cortana breathed, leaning closer to John. "It was everything I had hoped for and so much more."

"Both times?"

"Both times." Cortana pressed her lips to John's, and the two engaged in a passionate kiss while their hands roamed over each other's bodies. Eventually they pulled apart when they needed air.

"I don't suppose you'd be willing to go for a third time?" John asked in a playful and challenging tone, with a lusty grin on his face.

Cortana smiled down at him. "The first two times were amazing, but they do say that the third time's a charm, so maybe, just maybe, this will be even better." She leaned down to whisper in John's ear. "But this time, I'm on top, Johnny boy."

John groaned in desire. "I have absolutely no problem with that, Cortana." And once again, they let their passions take over.

--

**Hope that wasn't too smutty for you. I'm new at this, so forgive my somewhat naive attitude.**

**And I will attempt to continue ASAP.**

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**By the way, has anybody else seen _Halo Legends_ yet? I particularly like the last episode.  
**


	10. Happy Birthday

**To all those who have reviewed: thank you very much! Your responses are what inspires me to keep going!**

**To NeoAurora: I'm glad to see that you liked every chapter!**

**Major Mike Powell III: I believe that episode was called 'Odd One Out'. That guy, 1337 was such a doofus! And the prophet was funny too ("I need a vacation"). Ah comedy; it makes the world go round. **

**PS: HOO-RAH Marine!**

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**Happy Birthday**

Cortana strode down the hall to her apartment. She had spent most of the morning at the UNSC base, helping them update their computer systems. Despite the fact that she was no longer an AI, Cortana still knew her way around computer systems better than most living people. Not just human systems, but various Covenant mainframes too. She supposed that all those times that she was inserted into an enemy system for infiltration purposes left her with a veritable knowledge of how they worked.

Strangely enough, John was not present at the base that day. Neither were any of the other Spartans, nor Dr Halsey. When she asked her superior about this, he cryptically responded that they were 'otherwise occupied', and did not elaborate. Cortana thought no more of it, and went back to work.

When midday had rolled around, the officer in charge had ordered Cortana to take the rest of the day off, and to go home immediately. Again, when she asked why, he gave a cryptic response. Utterly confused, Cortana nonetheless packed up her stuff and headed for home.

Now she was walking down the hall to the apartment that she and John shared. Keying open the door, Cortana stepped inside to find the room pitch black. She fumbled around for the light switch, but before she could find it, the lights flicked back on, and the word "Surprise!" boomed out to greet her.

The sight before Cortana included Dr Halsey and the Spartans standing under a banner that read 'Happy Birthday!', and a chocolate cake lay on the table. She felt an arm slip around her shoulders, and turned to see John standing next to her, holding her close.

"What's going on here?" Cortana gasped, with a surprised smile on her face.

"Why, Cortana, don't you know what the date is?" Dr Halsey spoke up. "And don't you remember what happened on this day nine years ago?"

Cortana wracked her memory, trying to find the significance of today's date. Though her memory was not quite as impressive as it was back when she was still an AI, she was able to quickly remember what had happened exactly nine years earlier to the day.

"Nine years ago today was the day that I was first activated," Cortana answered.

"The day you were born," Linda put in with a smile, as next to her Fred blew on a party blower.

"Happy birthday, Cortana," said John, pulling her closer and wrapping his other arm around her. Cortana looked up into his brown eyes, feeling a smile break out across her face. She placed her hands around his neck and drew him in for a loving kiss, earning an 'awww' from the other guests.

"Thank you," Cortana whispered to John after pulling away from him.

"Don't thank just me," he replied. "Thank all of us. It was a group effort to put this all together, small though it may be."

"It seems perfect to me," she replied with a smile, her bright blue eyes glowing.

After pulling away from each other, John and Cortana sat down, and everyone presented the birthday girl with their presents. Kelly and Linda had joined forces to buy some clothes, which they each gave separately. Kelly gave her a purple T-shirt, and Linda gave her a set of blue denim jeans. Fred had purchased an electronic organiser for Cortana, and Dr Halsey's present was a gift voucher for $2000 to be used at one of Earth's leading shopping complexes. All throughout the gift openings, Linda – acting as photographer – took numerous pictures.

Cortana loved all of her gifts. Afterwards, she turned to John. "So tell me," she said playfully, "what did my darling Master Chief get me?" She had an impish grin on her face, and her blue eyes seemed to glow with mischief.

John did not miss a beat. He smiled down at the woman that he loved with all his heart. "I will admit that my gift may not seem like much, but it's an object that means a great deal to me. It was given to me just before I joined the Spartans. In fact, it's probably the reason why I am a Spartan today." As he said this last bit, he raised his eyes a bit, sharing a very fleeting glimpse with a smiling Dr Halsey. Looking back into Cortana's eyes, he softly said, "Close your eyes and hold out your hand."

Cortana did as John asked. She felt something being placed in her hand. It felt cool and metallic, and seemed to have a chain on it.

"Open your eyes," John whispered.

Opening her eyes, Cortana saw the object she held. It appeared to be a necklace of sort. Actually, it was a coin attached to a chain. She found it to be a rather unusual gift for her. Then the words that John had said clicked together in her head. She looked up at him. "This is the coin, isn't it?" she said. "The coin that Dr Halsey tested you with."

"Yes, it is," John replied with a smile, as Cortana held up the end of the chain and admired the gift. "When I was looking for you on High Charity, I heard your voice saying that it was the coin's fault. You may have been going a bit rampant then, but you were also right. If it wasn't for this little coin here, I would not have become a Spartan, I would have been powerless to fight the Covenant and the Flood that way that I did…" he trailed off for a second, "and I never would have met you." John took another deep breath, then gazed deeply into Cortana's blue eyes. "This coin means a great deal to me, and since it lead me to you – the woman that I love with all my heart – I felt it appropriate that you should wear it."

Cortana smiled widely, then she threw her arms around John's neck, planting a deep kiss on his lips. Dr Halsey and the other Spartans cheered, and there were a couple of flashes as Linda snapped a few pictures. After disengaging, John helped Cortana put her new necklace on, the coin resting just below her neck.

"I love it," a beaming Cortana said to John, then leaned up to kiss him again.

"Well, enough about the presents. Let's have some cake!" Fred declared.

They lit the five candles on the cake, and sang 'Happy Birthday'. As Cortana blew out the candles, she considered making a wish, then realised it was not necessary.

After all, her dreams had already come true.

--

--

**It may be a tad sappy, but I like it. Cortana may not have had a birth in the traditional sense, but in the Halo Legend story 'Origins I', she mentioned "when I was born", and that validated this story to me. (I had already written it long before. It just took until now to publish it.)**

**Anyway, the coin necklace was inspired by something I saw on . It was a work called 'Fireworks' by Filly-of-the-Plains. (Filly, if you're reading this, I hope you don't mind me using your idea, but I really liked your picture) In it, John and a human Cortana are standing together watching the fireworks for some celebration, and Cortana has the coin around her neck. I just borrowed that idea for here, because I liked it very much.**

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**Anyway, until next time, my friends!  
**


	11. His Song for Her

**Hey everyone. Before I give you my next chapter, I have to admit, I am feeling a bit down right now. Some punk over at reviewed this story and claimed that I am not being truthful to the characters! (You know, John's not a hardass, Cortana's not a smartass, Halsey's not being as cold as usual, and so on) Not only that, but he likened my portrayal of John to Edward Cullen of _Twilight_!**

**I'm not doing that, am I? John's way cooler than Edward!  
**

**Also, he claimed that because of this story's romance bias, the writer must be a woman! You all know I'm a guy, right?**

**Sorry for all that, but I haven't had to deal with a negative review before. Anyway, here's the next chapter.**

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**--  
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**His Song for Her**

--

John fingers danced over the keys of the piano, coaxing out a lilting tune. He paused at one moment, then took his hands off the keys, stopping altogether. No, this part just didn't sound right. Taking the pencil out from behind his ear, he made a few modifications to the paper that lay in front of him, crossing out a few notes. He thought for a few seconds, holding the end of the pencil to his lip, then jotted down some newer notes; ones he thought would sound better.

Most people thought that John – and all the Spartans, in fact – were only good at soldiering. That violence and mayhem were their only talents. It was only recently that this attitude had begun to change. But throughout all of their lives, the Spartans had undertaken other pursuits as well. Not many of their military leaders had cared much for these kinds of developments, mind you, but there were a few individuals who did. Dr Halsey was the most notable. She had encouraged the Spartans to develop interests outside of military life. She felt that this would help them grow as people, and enable them to hold on to some part of their humanity.

John was grateful for such guidance. Even before he had been inducted into the Spartan program, he had always possessed an aptitude for music, specifically playing the piano. It was a talent that Halsey and even a few of his fellow Spartans had encouraged him to develop at every opportunity. From a young age, John was able to play a great range of the classics, such as Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, and many others. However, as the war with the Covenant grew more intense, he found that he had less and less time to dedicate to his creative side. Rather it was his destructive side that needed fostering.

However, the war was long over, and though he was still officially a UNSC soldier, John found that he had a lot more free time. So he decided to resume his interest in the piano. But this time, he decided to do something new. Instead of simply learning how to play pieces that were written by somebody else – timeless classics, though they may be – he decided to be extra creative and compose a piece of his own. At first, he did not know what to make the piece about, but then the answer struck him like lightning, and for the last few days he had been very busy composing this new piece.

Finally jotting down the new notes, John placed his hands back on the keys, and played the last part of the piece, complete with the new notes. As the tune died out, John thought about it, and realised that it sounded better than before. Much better.

He started again, this time from the very beginning. He played the entire thing all the way through. His entire work over the last few days resulted in a tune that lasted only a few minutes, but in the end, it seemed just right. No, not just right… perfect.

Smiling, John stood up from the chair, collected his papers, and headed for the door. He had a few arrangements to make.

--

Later that night, John, Cortana, and the other Spartans headed to one of their favourite clubs. They had been frequenting this place quite a bit lately. It was one of those old style clubs that still had open-mike night every week, and a piano for pretty much every occasion. Usually, they had someone playing it, but tonight, John had a special request to make of the club's owner.

Naturally, Cortana remained completely unaware of this. She sat at the table nursing her second drink of the night, wondering where John could have possibly disappeared. After the first round of drinks, he had stood up, asked her not to move, then headed off, apparently in the direction of the club owner's office.

"Where do you think he's gone?" Cortana asked Kelly.

"I don't know," was the reply. "Why are you so worried?"

"I'm not. If anything, I'm just a little bit confused. It looked as though he had something important on his mind."

From the other side of Kelly, Linda shrugged. "Well, knowing John, he's probably got something big planned," she said casually, before taking another sip of her cocktail.

"Why do you say that?" Cortana asked, her brow furrowed.

"Because he's the Master Chief," Kelly replied for Linda. "He doesn't do anything halfway."

"Good point," Cortana admitted, raising her glass to her lips. As she took a sip, the club's owner stepped out on stage and asked for the audience's complete attention.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I have a very special treat for you all tonight. One of our patrons has made a special request that he play a piece on the piano tonight. From what I've been told, it is one that he has written himself, and dedicated to his girlfriend, who I believe is somewhere in the audience tonight. So let's give a big round of applause for… John!" The audience gave is applause, and Cortana's mouth fell open in surprise as she saw John sitting at the piano.

John cracked his knuckles, stretched his neck from side to side, and took a deep breath. Placing his fingers on the keys, he began his piece. The soft tunes resonated throughout the bar, which had otherwise fallen silent.

The piece started off softly, then gradually increased in tempo. In her heart, Cortana knew that this symbolised how their relationship had gone in its early stages. They had clicked almost instantly, and things had gone well, just as the situation in the war had seemed to increase in fervour. The next part became somewhat rushed and frenetic, reminding Cortana of the situations on the first and second Halos. After this, the tune became lower, more… depressing, in a way. She knew this was about the time when he had been forced to leave her behind on a Flood-infested High Charity. She drew in a breath to help ease the sudden clenching she felt in her chest.

But then, the piece perked up again, almost with a sense of hope. This was when John had found her. She may have seemed broken, but he came for her nonetheless. The piece picked up its pace again, evoking images of the battle at the Ark's control room, Johnson's sacrifice, and the desperate flights on the Warthog and the _Forward Unto Dawn_.

Then it became slow and sombre, a tribute to the time when they had been left adrift in space. John had gone into stasis, and Cortana had watched over him. As she listened to this, Cortana felt a tear start to pool in the corner of her eye.

The rest of the performance became light and happy again. This was about their rescue, their return to Earth, the moment when she became human, and the beginning of their new lives together. A symbol of a promising future. With this, John struck the last few notes, and as the tone faded out, the audience erupted into applause, and Cortana found herself crying in pure happiness.

Her own song, written by the man that she loved.

As John stood up and moved to the front of the stage to take a bow, Cortana leapt out of her own seat, rushed up to the stage and threw her arms around him. The happy couple shared a loving kiss, causing the audience to cheer even louder.

It may not have been Beethoven or Mozart. But to Cortana, they did not even come close.

--

--

**From what I can tell, John playing any kind of musical instrument is not canon. I just borrowed the idea from "Of Construct and Hero", by Heart-of-Memories, which also inspired this story. And it was also inspired by the Battlestar Galactica episode "Someone to Watch Over Me", where Starbuck is with that piano player, helping him compose a song, and they end up playing "All Along the Watchtower".**

**Anyway, hope you all liked it. I need a bit of cheering up after that annoying review.**

**-  
**


	12. Mothers Day

**Thanks a lot for your support guys. I just have a low tolerance for negative criticism. But, I guess it comes with the job of being someone with a creative outlet, right? I mean, writers, movie-makers, artists and so on, they all had some dumb-f#% who criticized their work, but they kept going, didn't they?**

**Also I've been on tons of fan sites where fans rip shreds off each other: "Team Edward vs Team Jacob", and "which girl should Harry Potter end up with?" and so on. And some people are incredibly arrogant with their opinions to the point where they insist that they are right and everyone else is wrong. It's irritating, but not really worth worrying about, right?**

**And ironically, my Dad has been reading the Twilight books, and we got into a very brief argument about Edward vs the Master Chief. I mean, sure, the pretty boy's got some moves and speed to go with it, but has he got unbreakable bones, highly-enhanced muscles, kick$$ MJOLNIR armour and a sh!tload of guns and bombs to go with it?! And Johnny boy's got a hot AI looking over him who actually helps him out! What does Bella do apart from mope around?**

**I rest my case.**

**Alright, enough twaddle. On to the story.**

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**Mothers Day**

Doctor Catherine Halsey sighed, lifted up her glasses and rubbed her closed eyes. As much as she loved her work, sometimes it got her down. Occasionally, some chemicals would not bond with each other, or her computer would malfunction, or an assistant would mess up her order, or so on.

More than once she had thought about retiring. Admittedly, she was getting on in her years. However, this was not the Dark Ages, but the middle of the 26th Century. Nowadays people were living up to 150 years of age. It was not uncommon for people to keep working after living for a full century! There were plenty of people much older than her who still worked.

Besides, Catherine had to admit that she loved her job, and it did have its rewards. The most fulfilling was the close bonds that she had established with the Spartans, having overseen them since they were children. She still felt guilt over having taken them from their families and effectively robbed them of any chance of having a normal childhood, but she cared for them all the same. In a way, they were like her own children.

This thought brought up an unexpected lump in Catherine's throat. She had completely forgotten that today was Mothers Day. Her own mother had died long ago, and since then, she had never once bothered with the holiday, as she had no children of her own. Catherine had been completely focused on her career with the UNSC, and had not really entertained the idea of settling down and having a family of her own. Besides, once the Covenant had attacked, pretty much all of her time was taken up with her contribution to the war effort.

But now Catherine was older, and the war against the Covenant had long since concluded. During the times that she had to think for herself, she felt as though she had missed out on a wonderful opportunity. Thinking back, she would have probably enjoyed having a family. A loving husband, and some wonderful children. An opportunity to celebrate birthdays, wedding anniversaries, family moments to remember fondly in her twilight years…

And, of course, for Mothers Day to have a special significance for her once again.

Catherine sighed. As much as she loved the Spartans like they were her own children, they were still professional soldiers, and thus were unlikely to give her presents and such on Mothers Day.

Still, she supposed there was Cortana. After all, the former AI had been created using Catherine's own brain patterns, and her new human body had been created using Catherine's DNA. In pretty much every sense, Cortana was Catherine's daughter. Still, she seemed to have been kind of busy with John over these last couple of weeks, and she did not want to disturb her for some petty reason.

_Huh, petty!_ Catherine's mind told her. _Do you really believe that?_ Grumbling, she banished the thought from her head and returned to her work.

A few hours later, Catherine stood at the door to her room. The facility was equipped with quarters for personnel who were sometimes required to stay for more than one day. Keying in her door code, she slipped inside, feeling drained.

"Surprise!" boomed out to greet Catherine, and in addition to being rather shocked, she was reminded of Cortana's recent birthday party, which had begun in a similar manner. Except that in this instance, _she_ was the one walking into a surprise. Cortana, John and the other Spartans were there.

"W-what…" Catherine stammered out before Cortana rushed forwards and threw her arms around her.

"Happy Mothers Day," Cortana said, hugging the doctor tightly.

As the young woman pulled back, Catherine gasped. "But, I'm not anyone's mother," she said, despite the fact that inside she felt a growing sense of joy.

"Yes you are," John responded, coming over. "You have been like a mother to all of us since we started the Spartan program. Throughout all of those years, all of those drill instructors just yelled instructions at us, forced us to do this and that. There were very few individuals who actually treated us like real human being. Who actually cared for us. People like Mendez, Johnson, Keyes, Miranda, Hood and such. They all meant a great deal to us, and still do. But you, Dr Halsey," he stopped right in front of Catherine, and looked into her eyes, "you were like a mother to us. You always called us by our real names, never our numbers. I was always 'John' to you, never 'Spartan-117'. That alone means a lot to me. To all of us." He gestured to the other Spartans, who nodded in agreement.

"And you are the one who created me," Cortana spoke up. "It was your brain that was used as a pattern for me as an AI, so I literally came from your mind. And then, when I was undergoing the process to become human, the DNA came from you. So I am literally your flesh and blood now." She reached down and took Catherine's hand in between her own. "You may not have given birth to me in the traditional sense, but you still gave birth to me. Not just once, but twice. In pretty much every respect, you are my mother, the woman who gave me life." A tear started to form in the corner of Cortana's eye. "And I just wanted to say that I love you Mum."

Tears started to form in Catherine's eyes as well, and she pulled Cortana – her _daughter_ – into a tight hug. "I love you too, dear," she said. After letting go of her, she then turned to give John a hug as well. The Spartan man practically engulfed her in his enormous arms. One by one, the Spartans all gave the beloved doctor a hug.

Afterwards, John, Cortana and the other Spartans took the doctor out to dinner at one of the most popular restaurants in the city. The evening was spent together as one happy family, simply laughing, eating, joking around, and enjoying each other's company.

For Catherine Halsey, Mothers Day had become special once again.

--

--

**This mostly focuses on Halsey, obviously. But I always saw her as being Cortana's mother. Also, if you watch the episode "The Package" from Halo: Legends, where we actually see the good doctor, the resemblance between the two is uncanny. (Understandable, since they also got the same woman to do the voices for both of them.**

**Anyway, thanks for your support, and until next time!  
**


	13. The Question

**Now, I'm sure we all saw this happening sooner or later, and I hope that you all like it. And this was also somewhat inspired by yet another piece of artwork by Filly-of-the-Plains that I saw on deviantart. If you go there, and look for ones with "John" and "Cortana" in it, I'm sure you'll find it quickly. I just changed their attire slightly, because I wanted John to look more casual.  
**

**--  
**

**The Question**

--

John and Cortana stood on the beach, at the very edge of the water. It was low tide, so there were no big waves to be seen, but the water did lap over their feet. Cortana wore a yellow sundress, and John had on a simple white T-shirt and shorts. He had his arm around her, and they gazed out over the ocean, watching the sun make it's slow descent beneath the waves.

Cortana sighed happily, the wind blowing her hair across her face. "You always did take me to the most beautiful places," she said, mimicking her often-used phrase.

John chuckled. "Yes, but this time, there's no aliens for me to shoot or blow up. No, this time, it's just you, me, the beach and the sunset. And sure, the scenery is beautiful, as you said, but to me, it's nothing compared to you." He gently kissed Cortana on her temple.

Cortana sighed in happiness. "What did I do to deserve you?" she said with a smile.

"Hey, every day, I ask myself what did _I_ do to deserve _you_?" John wittingly retorted.

"I think it might have something to do with the fact that you saved the entire human race over and over again," Cortana replied lightly, wrapping her arms around the Spartan man's neck.

"But I wouldn't have been able to do that if I didn't have the UNSC's most advanced AI looking over me. My own guardian angel." John responded, sliding his arms around her waist, and drawing her closer. He leaned down and gently kissed her on the lips. "Anyway, I've been doing some thinking."

"Should I be concerned?" Cortana joked.

John simply smiled and laughed. "No, no, you shouldn't. But I do want to ask you an important question." Cortana raised her eyebrows, in both confusion and anticipation.

John began. "Cortana, when I first met you, you were still just an AI. My first impressions of you was that you were too smart for your own good, and that you would probably annoy me after a short while." John grinned. "And although that is still kind of true…" he teased, causing Cortana to smack him on the arm, and him to chuckle. "You were still the best partner I had ever been paired with. You may not have been able to hold a weapon, but you were still the best cover I could ever count on. You were there with me at the first Halo, New Mombassa, the second Halo, and High Charity. It was only when I left you back at that Flood-infested city that I realized how much you meant to me. And I knew that I would have done anything to get you back." He stopped as his throat caught.

Cortana felt like saying something, but she knew that he was not done yet. John continued. "Throughout all of the fighting around the Ark portal, and on the Ark itself, I never stopped thinking about you. Every step that I took, every shot that I fired, I did it with the hope of seeing you again. You may have been just a computer program, but you had managed to do something that nobody else had done… you captured my heart."

Cortana's own heart started to flutter at this point, and she felt a tear start to form in the corner of one of her eyes. John went on. "When I entered High Charity looking for you, I never once thought about the Index. I know we needed it, but it never occurred to me how or why we did. All that mattered to me was finding you, and saving you. The Index was nothing more than a convenient excuse." John gently ran his hand down the side of Cortana's face. "And since then, my love for you has only grown stronger. Being trapped on the _Dawn_ did not seem so bad as long as you were watching over me, but waking up to find that we had been rescued was one of the happiest moments of my life. But an even happier one was the day when you became human. And now we are at this point right now, and it all hinges on this question."

John stopped and took a step back, still holding Cortana's hands in his own. "Cortana, it is impossible for me to imagine any possible future for me that does not have you in it. So that is why I am asking you this now."

Cortana's mind was not the same as it was when she was still an AI, but it still worked pretty quickly. As such, she worked out exactly where John was going about two seconds before he made his move. He bent down into a kneel, his lower knee now in the water, though he seemed not to be the slightest bit concerned about getting wet. He reached into the pocket of his shorts and pulled out a small box. Cortana's eyes went wide, and John opened the box, showing a diamond ring inside.

"Cortana, will you marry me?"

Placing her hands over her mouth in shock, Cortana found herself completely lost for words. It took a few second for her mouth to resume working, and she uttered the only words that she could say. The only words that she _wanted_ to say.

"Yes, John. I will!"

Smiling widely, John stood up, and slid the ring onto Cortana's finger, then swept her into a giant hug, the two of them laughing in pure happiness. As the sun finally slipped below the horizon, they felt as though they were the only two people in their own happy world.

--

**So how was that? Did anyone actually see this image in their mind? Anybody willing to draw it?**

**In terms of proposals, how did this one go?  
**


	14. Wedding Day

**Well, you had the proposal, so naturally what comes next is the wedding! I figured our happy couple would want to keep it a simple affair, so simple it is. Also, Lord Hood makes an appearance here.**

**

* * *

**

**Wedding Day**

For the first time in her life, Cortana felt truly beautiful. She stood in front of a body-length mirror, wearing a lovely white dress. She could not believe this day was actually happening. She was getting married! By the end of the day, she and John would be husband and wife! It felt like an absolutely wonderful dream that she never wanted to wake up from.

They had decided to go with a very simple ceremony. Apart from John and Cortana, there was just Dr Halsey, Lord Hood, Chief Mendez and the surviving Spartans. And the pastor, of course. Other than that, there were no ring-bearers, no flower girls, and no outside parties. It was just the happy couple and their closest friends, most of whom could also be counted as family. And that was just how John and Cortana had wanted it.

Dr Catherine Halsey stood next to Cortana, reached out and took hold of her hands. "You look beautiful, dear," she said. "Are you nervous?"

Cortana responded with a shaky laugh and a smile. "A little," she admitted. "But I'm ready for this."

The door opened, and Lord Hood walked through. He had offered to walk Cortana down the aisle, and she happily accepted. "It's time," he said with a smile.

Catherine pulled her daughter into a hug. "I love you Cortana, and I'm so proud of you," she said.

"I love you too Mum," Cortana replied. She let go of her mother, grabbed Hood's offered arm, and began her march.

* * *

At the altar, John was nervous as hell. He could not believe that he could face off against an army of Covenant or a horde of Flood without flinching, but he found his own wedding so nerve-wracking. It seemed almost ludicrous.

From his place beside John, Best Man Fred said, "Calm down, John. It's not as if she's going to run away or anything like that." From her position across from the two men, co-Maids of Honour Kelly and Linda shared a glance and both rolled their eyes in disbelief.

The wedding march started, and all eyes were on the door as Cortana and Lord Hood came through it. Upon seeing Cortana, John forgot all his worries and fears. Hell, he forgot how to breathe too. She looked so beautiful and radiant that he was completely and hopelessly entranced.

Cortana made it to the altar, and Lord Hood handed her off to John, who held her soft, gentle hands in his big, strong, calloused ones. The loving couple smiled at each other as the pastor began reading from his holy book. The pastor went on for several minutes, but John and Cortana barely heard him. They were too busy gazing lovingly into each other's eyes. But when the time came, they responded to the all-important question.

"Do you, John, take Cortana to be your lawfully wedded wife? To love, honour and cherish for as long as you both shall live?"

John responded, "I do."

"And do you, Cortana, take John to be your lawfully wedded husband? To love, honour and cherish for as long as you both shall live?"

Cortana responded, "I do."

The couple placed the rings on each other's fingers. Afterwards, the pastor said, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." John happily obliged, and he and Cortana became locked in a passionate kiss for the ages. Their friends and family clapped and cheered, Dr Halsey wiped a happy tear from her eye, and for this one brief, shining moment, everything was just perfect with the universe.

* * *

**And so the happy couple are now husband and wife. You like?**


	15. Like An Angel

**In the words of my favourite cartoon robot: I'm back, baby! (Bender rules!)**

**Anyway, this is still at the wedding, but at the reception.**

* * *

**Like an Angel**

Throughout her existence, Cortana had been interested in a great many things about the human race. About their life, culture, practices, loves and hates. She supposed that it had simply been her way of understanding her own humanity; one that had truly emerged with the onset of her rampancy, and come full-circle when she made the transition from coding and software to flesh and blood. Now that she was human herself, a whole new world of possibilities had opened up for her.

One of the things that Cortana had always been fascinated with was dancing. Databases tended to describe the activity as 'a set of movements performed artistically', or something like that. But Cortana had rarely seen it that way. Such a description seemed to not do it the correct justice. Instead, it seemed to her like something much more… surreal. Spellbinding. Emotive. So many words could be used, and yet none of them seemed adequate enough.

When Cortana had watched people dancing, mostly through video files, she had been amazed. The performers looked so happy as they moved about. The smiles on their faces, the movements of their bodies, how they danced to the music. They appeared to be in a world of their own, free from all of the troubles that the rest of the universe faced. In particular, Cortana had watched couples dancing, and she had been in awe of how they moved as one, so in tune with each other, sharing a bond so special. She had envied them.

One time, not long after they had returned to Earth, but when Cortana had still been an AI, she had found herself alone, sorting files. Finding herself bored with the menial task, Cortana had brought up a video file of people dancing, and immediately found herself mesmerised with the movements of the dancers, and the sounds of the music. Tentatively, she had begun to move her own holographic limbs, then the rest of her body. She and moved to the music, feeling it flowing through her, guiding her, setting her free. Cortana closed her eyes, and just let her holographic form just move, relishing in the sensation that she was in a wonderful world of her own.

As the music came to an end, so did Cortana's dancing. She opened her eyes… and found the Master Chief watching her intently.

"John!" Cortana cried, her avatar tinged with flushes of deep purple. "I was, uh…" she stammered, trying desperately to come up with some kind of valid reason for her actions, at the same time wondering if it was at all possible for an AI to die from extreme embarrassment.

John held up a hand to silence her. "Cortana," he said in a soft voice, "there's absolutely no reason for you to be embarrassed. I didn't know you liked dancing so much."

Cortana looked downwards, still embarrassed. "Well… I've always been, kinda, fascinated with it. And, uh, I've never done it before." The AI had suddenly found herself in one of the extremely rare instances where she simply did not have an adequate answer. That alone just served to add to her embarrassment.

John gave Cortana a soft smile, and he brought his face closer to hers. He fixed her with a tender gaze. "There's no need for you to be embarrassed Cortana," he said. "You danced like an angel."

All at once, Cortana's embarrassment vanished, to be replaced by a feeling that was both warm and wonderful. Looking up into John's eyes, she could see those feelings reflected, and could also see honesty. He had not simply made that comment to make her feel better; he had genuinely meant it. He saw her as an angel in so many ways. She was his guardian angel on the battlefield, the little voice that encouraged him when things got tough, and he now saw her as an angel who moved so gracefully when she danced. Cortana found herself speechless again, but this time in a very different way. A way that felt so good, it could not be put into words.

John knelt down next to the holo-emitter, his gaze still firmly on Cortana's eyes. "Cortana," he said, "I promise you, when you become human, you be able to dance as much as you want. And I will dance with you."

* * *

Cortana remembered that moment now, as she and John danced together at their wedding reception. The Spartan's big strong arms wrapped around her, making her feel safer than she had ever been in her life. This particular song that they were dancing to was something of a classic. It was from the last years of the 20th Century, by an artist called Seal. The song was called "Kiss From a Rose".

_Baby, I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the grave._

_Ooh, the more I get of you, the stranger it feels, yeah._

_Now that your rose is in bloom,_

_A light hits the gloom on the grave._

"Looks like you kept your promise to me," she whispered to him.

John smiled at his new wife. "You know me. When I make a promise, I keep it." Cortana's smile just got brighter, and she moved even closer into John's embrace as they continued to dance, feeling as though they were in a world where there was no Covenant, no Flood, none of the other problems that they had faced. It was just the two of them. The new husband and wife.

The great warrior and his angel.

* * *

**Naturally, people would perceive the Master Chief as this great warrior (which he is :) ), but I have always seen Cortana as something like his guardian angel, the one who watches over him and protects him.**

**Also, I never planned to include an actual song in it, but I saw that episode of "Bones" where they attended her high school reunion, and they all started to have a slow dance with "Kiss From a Rose" by Seal, and I decided to put it in. I'm not really a Seal fan, but I do really like that song. And "Crazy" is a good one too.**

**BTW, I loaned my future brother-in-law my DVD of "Halo Legends", and he agrees with me on one thing: Cortana wants the Chief! ;)**


	16. Guardian Angel

**Since I was away for quite a while, I thought that I would add a second one for this occasion. It's pretty short, though.**

**I did volunteer work at a museum early last year (for a Star Wars exhibit, no less!) and I bought a Clone Wars notepad from the gift shop. During one of my moments of just standing around, I discreetly managed to scribble this down. After much internal deliberating, I decided to put it up. Hope it's OK.**

* * *

**Guardian Angel**

John sometimes dreamed of his past missions. He dreamed of his old friends, his fellow Spartans, of the time spent with them, and of how they watched each others backs. He also dreamed of other comrades-in-arms, like Johnson, Jacob and Miranda Keyes, Lord Hood, even the Arbiter. In those dreams, he was surrounded by friends and trusted allies. Those were good dreams.

Then there were the other dreams. The not-so-good ones, even the outright bad ones. The nightmares. It was in those ones that he saw again, in perfect clarity, the people that he lost, the missions that he failed, the friends and allies that he could not save, everybody he had let down.

When John had a nightmare, he would sometimes whimper and cry in his sleep. Cortana would lie next to him and listen. The sounds made her sad, to think that this brave stoic man, whom she loved with all her heart, was enduring so much emotional pain. It was so overwhelming and heartbreaking that it often made her shed a few tears as well. Cortana would wrap her arms around John and hold him close, helping to soothe away his worries, his fears. Usually, this would calm him down, as if he consciously knew that she was holding him tight. When this happened, his nightmares would vanish and he would slip into a calm, peaceful slumber.

But sometimes, the nightmares would be so intense that not even Cortana's embrace would make them go away. In those instances, she would have no choice but to wake John up. He would gasp and open his eyes, realise where he was, and relax. He would look into Cortana's eyes, and he would feel safer than he had ever been in his life. Shining in the darkness, those bright blue eyes promised him that she would always be there for him. John was reminded of the countless time Cortana had watched over him from within his neural lace. She had been the best backup he could have had; she was his closest friend and confidante, his partner. Even when they had been left adrift in space after the Battle of Installation 00, she had watched over him while he slept. She had been his protector, his sentinel.

Even though she had only been an Artificial Intelligence, she had always been his guardian angel.

Now that she was human, she was all those things and more. She was also his lover, wife, and soul mate. She was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, and the one who continued to watch over him while he slept.

Even a great warrior needed an angel to hold tight. And she would always be his guardian angel.

* * *

**This may not exactly seem like it's in character for the Master Chief, but I'm basing this upon the point that sometimes even the toughest soldier can be haunted by what they experienced in combat. I mean, let's face it: war is not fun. Even the Chief would know this.**

**And like I said in the last chapter, Cortana is the angel that watches over him. Even the tough ones need to be watched over, they just don't readily admit such a thing.**

**I hope that I won't get in trouble for this.  
**


	17. Another Reason to Come Back

**Hey, sorry that it's been a while. Here's the latest chapter. It adds yet another element to the mix. Enjoy.**

* * *

**Another Reason to Come Back**

The UNSC base was a flurry of activity. Personnel ran this way and that, rushing to get everything in order. It had been many years since the Covenant had been defeated and peace now reigned between most of the former member species and the human race. But apparently, some of them did not get the message, because even now they were causing trouble. The Jackals had reverted back to their pirating ways, and now a band of them had attacked one of the outlying colonies, which was still in the process of rebuilding after the war. The inhabitants were managing to hold off the bird-like aliens, but they were in danger of falling unless they received a little help. In response, the UNSC leaders were sending a contingent of Marines, plus the Spartan II's.

All of the Spartans II's stood together, clad in their MJOLNIR armour. They all had their helmets lying on a table, and they were busy servicing their weapons and equipment. It had been quite a while since they had last seen combat, but all of the Spartans had each lived the life of a professional soldier. Military protocol was something that had been instilled in them since childhood, and it was not easily forgotten.

Cortana stood a few metres away, watching the Spartans prepare themselves for combat. In the past, when she had still been an AI, she would have had her own pre-battle rituals, often performed from the bridge of a UNSC vessel or space station. These would have ranged from sending updates to ships or soldiers, to co-ordinating a battle plan with fleet commanders or fellow AI, all the way to sending a MAC round through a Covenant vessel. Then when battle came, she would interface with John's MJOLNIR armour, keeping it powered so that he would not find himself vulnerable at any key moment, or informing him on enemy movements. Back then, so many things had kept the AI busy, and she had many assets to utilise.

But so much had changed now. She was no longer an Artificial Intelligence, but a flesh-and-blood human being with little military training. And despite the fact that she was still pretty skilled with a computer, there was no way she could interface with the systems the way that she used to.

And the people who actually did the fighting, the Spartans, they were not mere soldiers or simple assets to her anymore. They were her friends and family. She cared about them greatly, every last one of them. But in particular, the one she worried more about more than any other was the one whose armour she used to be a part of. The man who was still commonly known to the troops as the Master Chief. Her beloved husband, John.

Cortana looked down into her hand. Her wedding band glinted on her left ring finger, as did John's from where it sat on her palm. Before suiting up, he had handed it to her and asked her to keep it safe for him. Cortana let out a sad sigh, and she looked up at her husband as he continued to service his equipment. At that moment, John looked up, and his eyes locked with hers. A look of sorrow seemed to come to his face, and he turned to utter something to Linda, who was standing right next to him. The sharpshooting woman gave an understanding nod, and John started to walk over to Cortana.

Usually, John appeared taller and bigger than Cortana. But now that he was clad in his MJOLNIR armour, the difference seemed almost ludicrous. He absolutely dwarfed her. Nonetheless, the warrior stared down at the woman he loved with all of his heart with a look of absolute tenderness on his battle-scarred face.

"Cortana, you know that I'm sorry for this," John began. "I didn't want to go, but I'm still a Spartan. I have an obligation to the UNSC."

Cortana smiled. "I'm not angry with you at all, John," she replied. "This is what you were trained to do your entire life. And it's not your fault that the Jackals decided to attack one of our colonies. Besides, they will learn their lesson soon enough when the big, bad Master Chief hands their bullet-riddled asses back to them!" Her remark caused a grin to break out across John's face, and the two of them shared a laugh. After sobering up, Cortana sighed. "If nothing else, I'm just feeling left out that I'm not going with you."

"I know," John replied. "It's not going to be the same without you in my neural lace, watching over me, keeping my armour working, making smartass jokes to keep me occupied." This brought out another giggle from Cortana.

John reached out with his gloved hands, and took hold of Cortana's. Her hands practically disappeared as they were engulfed in his enormous ones. Even through his glove, he was able to feel his wedding ring held in her palm. "You keep that ring of mine safe," he said softly. "That way, you can give it back to me when I return."

Cortana felt tears start to pool in her eyes. "Don't make a girl a promise if you know you can't keep it," she said, echoing the familiar words that she had told him when he was forced to leave her behind on High Charity.

John smiled. "I kept my promise to you that time, and I intend to keep it this time. Besides, I have you to come back to. I did on High Charity, and I do now."

Cortana took a deep breath to calm her nerves, which had suddenly started acting up. "Actually, you have another reason to come back home as well." At John's raised eyebrow, she continued. "You know how I've been feeling a bit unwell lately? Well, I found out the reason this morning."

"It's nothing bad, is it?"

Cortana laughed. "No John, it's a good thing. In fact, it's an absolutely wonderful reason." She took another calming breath, then looked up into John's eyes.

"You're going to be a father."

In all his life as a professional soldier, John had never experienced the level of shock he felt at that moment. Cortana's words ran through his mind over and over again. He finally managed to get his voice working again. "You're pregnant?"

Cortana nodded, and John found his shock giving way to pure happiness. He wrapped his wife up in his armour-clad arms, being very careful not to crush her. He spun her around happily, the pair of them laughing in joy.

* * *

**Solder, warrior, hero, and now husband and soon to be father! But hey, this is the Chief!**

**What do you think?**


	18. That Special One Back Home

**Hey, everybody! Sorry for the delay, but here is my next chapter.**

**This one takes place just after the last one, after John has dealt with the Jackals. Also, another one of my favourite Halo characters appears in this.**

* * *

**That Special One Back Home**

John hissed through his teeth as he struggled to sit up on the hospital bed. This action attracted the attention of one of the medics.

"Hey, you're supposed to be lying down," the man commanded as he rushed over to the Spartan's side and attempted to push him back down. Of course, being a Spartan, John was not easy to push around, or down, for that matter.

"I'm fine," John grunted, then winced painfully and placed a hand against his heavily bandaged midsection. As much as his MJOLNIR armour afforded him a great deal of protection, it was not 100% infallible. Not only that, but the Jackals had seemed to have gotten more brazen since breaking away from the Covenant, especially in regards to their pirating, and the group that had attacked the new UNSC outpost had been no exception.

The UNSC task force had managed to defeat the Jackals and liberate the outpost with few casualties on their part. However, even after all these years, the reputation of the 'Demon' still remained strong, despite the Covenant itself no longer existing. Many of the Jackals had gunned directly for John and his fellow Spartans, intent on claiming what they perceived to be the biggest trophy ever. The Spartans had managed to come out on top, defeating all of the bird-like aliens, but not without injuries.

Despite his stubbornness, John eventually gave in to the medic's orders and lay back down on the hospital bed. Sighing, he attempted to take his mind off the pain by closing his eyes and attempting to picture his beautiful wife, Cortana. He remembered the last time he saw her, just over six weeks ago, when she had told him that she was pregnant. A brief smile tugged at the Spartan's lips as he thought of his unborn child. He had promised his wife that he would come back, not just for her, but their child as well. And if that meant lying in a hospital bed unable to do anything else while he was recovering from his injuries, then so be it.

"And here I thought you Spartans were supposed to be tough," a voice came from John's left. The Spartan turned his head and saw that two beds down was a man decked out in the tattered garb of an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper, and had his left arm in a sling. The man had light brown hair and a somewhat boyish look to his features, which was complimented by a cocky grin that he wore.

"We are tough," John replied, "just not invincible." The ODST began laughing at this. Despite his usually tough exterior, John found himself starting to chuckle as well.

"Well, I have to admit that it's kind of humbling," the other man continued, "knowing that even the best of us are not perfect."

"Would you be referring to me or yourself there?" John asked. He knew all too well about the Spartan-ODST rivalry, but there seemed little harm in making a joke about it.

"Both of us, I guess," the man replied with a shrug of his good shoulder. "I mean, when you think about it, you Spartans and us Helljumpers would have to be the best fighters the UNSC has ever produced. I guess it's understandable that we have this little rivalry between us. Though, in hindsight, since we're all the best, we should all get along and wreak all kinds of havoc." The Helljumper grinned.

"I think the Jackal pirates found that out firsthand," John pointed out.

"That they did." The ODST gestured to himself. "I'm Buck. Gunnery Sargent Edward Buck. I would shake your hand, but that would require me to get off this bed and make my way over to yours, and I just can't be bothered to do that right now."

"You'd still be more able to do that than I would," John pointed out. "I'm Petty Officer John-117, but people often refer to me as the Master Chief. Though right now, I feel more like a man in pain."

"Yeah, I think I've heard of you," Buck replied. "Weren't you the Master Chief who survived the battle at Reach, then single-handedly defeated the Covenant armada at the first Halo? And didn't you also chase the Prophet of Regret from New Mombassa to the second Halo, where you killed him?"

"Yeah, that's me," John said with a slight sigh, knowing full well that those exploits were only the tip of the iceberg in regards to his career as a Spartan.

"Me and my squad dropped into New Mombassa just after that Prophet cut and ran," Buck continued. "It was us that was left behind to pick up the pieces. Still, us ODSTs can't just sit back and let you Spartans take all the credit now, can we?" This cause John to again chuckle slightly.

The two men spent the next few minutes just chatting. They traded war stories, and when John told of a harrowing mission that he had been on, Buck upped the ante by telling of an even more harrowing one that he had undertaken. Naturally, John went even further with a tale of an even more deadly mission he had done, but then Buck went even further. It might have seemed like a competition, with each man trying to outdo the other. Of course, in the end, both the Spartan and ODST were laughing.

Then came to a subject that both men held close to their hearts: that special lady waiting for them back home.

"My lady actually works for ONI," Buck admitted. "I know that those guys don't have the most appealing reputation, but you have to admit that things have gotten better since the end of the war. Veronica and I rekindled our relationship at New Mombassa, and things have been good since then. Got married in the middle of 2553, and we've never been happier." He tossed an electronic pad to John, and the Spartan looked at the picture of Buck with an attractive woman with blonde hair pulled into a ponytail. Despite the fact that both of them still wore military uniforms, the smiles on their faces radiated out from the image.

"You're a lucky guy, Buck," John admitted as he managed to push himself into a sitting position. "But then, so am I." He reached into his pocket and tossed his own electronic pad across to the ODST. Buck looked at the picture on it, and saw John with his arms wrapped around Cortana.

"Wow, who is she?" Buck asked, his eyebrows raised.

John smiled. "She's the woman who watched over me for many years as we drifted through space."

Buck frowned at John's cryptic response. The Spartan quickly related the story of Cortana's journey from Artificial Intelligence to human being.

"She used to be an AI who now inhabits a cloned body?" Buck asked somewhat incredulously. John nodded. "Wow, whoever she was cloned from has to be very attractive as well." At this, John just managed to suppress a chuckle, wondering what Dr Halsey would have said or done had she been around to hear Buck's comment.

"We're expecting our first child," John said.

At this, Buck broke into another broad teasing grin. "So, the big bad Master Chief's about to become a daddy, huh?" he teased.

The two of them continued laughing and talking for quite a while afterward.

* * *

**I liked Buck in the ODST game. I thought he was awesome! Not only that, but he was played by Nathan Fillion. That's right Malcolm Reynolds himself! Not to mention Richard Castle!**

**And here's a little trivia: Veronica dare was played by Tricia Helfer, of Battlestar Galactica fame, and the two of them actually used to be engaged.**

**Oh, one more thing. They are discussing about John becoming a father, and that relates to something in my life. By big bro and his future wife are expecting their first in November. That's right people! I'm gonna be an uncle!**


	19. Old Enemies, Old Friends

**For those of you concerned about Buck, don't worry. He's going to survive.**

**Okay, several of you have asked for this, so I finally decided to do it. I am putting in a guest appearance from a very familiar face. :)  
**

* * *

**Old Enemies, Old Friends**

Clad in his MJOLNIR armour, John walked through the luminescent purple-hued hallways of the Sangheili cruiser. Since the end of the Covenant war, the reptilian species had been actively helping the human race rebuild itself. In a way, it also benefited the Sangheili as well. For so many centuries, they had been strung along by the Prophets and believed their lies about the 'Great Journey', and in turn had nearly destroyed the humans; a race that had proved its worthiness over and over again. But the process of rebuilding both races had been going steady for several years now.

Still, John had to admit that it felt kind of weird just walking through the hallways with hardly a care in the world, when he was so used to running through them with weapons in his hands and blowing away anything that moved. _Eh, old habits die hard_, John mused.

Making his way to the commander's quarters, the two Sangheili Honour Guard standing sentry both placed their fists over their chests as a sign of respect to John. It was something that virtually every member of the species gave him nowadays. He gave them a quick salute before they stood aside to let him in.

The quarters seemed both alien in nature, and yet simple in design. There were a few shelves and weapons on the walls, along with a simple bed. There was also a desk, and standing behind it, staring out a window out into the infinite blackness of space, was a Sangheili wearing very distinctive armour. He currently had his back to John, though the Spartan had little doubt the alien heard his entrance.

"Anyone ever tell you it's a bad idea to just stand there with your back to the door?" John asked casually. "An assassin could just walk in and shoot or stab you in the back, and you'd be dead before you knew it."

"I have been told that numerous times, yes," the Sangheili replied in an equally casual tone. "I would not do it if I had anything to fear. But I doubt that you would attempt something of the sort, Spartan. At least not now."

John huffed. "Funny. I used to sneak up on many of you guys back during the war. They didn't last long afterwards."

"And I did the same with your kind." The alien finally turned around. "And it is my fondest hope that it will not happen again for the foreseeable future." He gave what passed as a smile for his species, then stepped forward and held out his hand. "It truly is great to see you again, old friend."

Behind his visor, John smiled. He reached out to grab the alien's hand and shook it. "Likewise, Arbiter."

"Amongst those like us, we can dispense with the formalities. My name is Thel'Vadamee. You may address me as Thel."

"Then you may call me John."

The Arbiter, Thel, let go of John's hand. He was clearly pleased at being able to converse with his former adversary in such a casual manner. "Very well then, John. Please, have a seat. Our chairs are more than capable of supporting the weight of your armour." The two of them sat down, and John removed his helmet, placing it off to the side.

Thel leaned back in his chair. "I have received reports of your latest skirmish with the Jackals. With the Covenant disbanded, I had hoped that the other species would start living their lives in a more peaceful matter. However, it does not surprise me that the Jackals have undertaken such ventures as raiding colonies."

"You're not surprised?" John asked, raising an eyebrow. Fortunately, the Arbiter was well versed in human facial expressions, and understood John's easily.

"Even before they were assimilated into the Covenant, the Kig-Yar species was well known for being pirates and raiders," Thel explained, using the actual title of the Jackal species. "Before meeting other races, they carried out such activities against each other. When they met others, they simply brought that behaviour against them. Even now, with the war over and the Covenant gone, they continue their practices. They have tried to raid us a few times, and have even heard of them doing it against several Unggoy worlds."

"Old habits die hard, right?"

"An old human axiom that I have heard many times, and has been proven right over and over again. This is no exception."

John leaned back slightly and crossed his arms. "Yeah, well, they'll probably think twice before doing it again."

"It seems that way, yes," Thel agreed. "By making such a stand against the Kig-Yar, they may very well decide to re-evaluate their priorities, at least for the foreseeable future. After all, I have read the progress reports, and it seems that your years of inactivity has not dulled your abilities in battle in the least. You are as tenacious as ever. As are your fellow surviving Spartans."

"Still was not enough to avoid getting shot in the gut a few times," John admitted. His midsection was feeling a lot better than before, but there was still a slight tenderness, especially went he moved a great deal.

Thel permitted himself a brief chuff of laughter. "Yes, I heard about your injuries. How ironic and tragic it would have been for you, the great Demon, to survive three decades of war against the Covenant, as well as numerous encounters with the Flood, only for you to die at the hands of a small, petty band of Kig-Yar pirates." There was a slight grin on his face as he finished this statement.

John merely shrugged in response. "I wouldn't have let myself die anyway. Not when I promised Cortana that I would come back to her."

"Yes, your construct," Thel said with a chuckle. "Who has now become a human being, and your mate, of all things. It truly is amazing the way things turn out, wouldn't you agree, my friend? I do apologise for being unable to attend your joining."

"It's called a 'wedding'", John replied. "And that's fine, Arb- uh, Thel. To be honest, we wanted to keep the ceremony small anyway."

Thel simply smiled. "Then no harm was done. I hope you do not mind if I hope that fate blesses you and your beloved with offspring, great in numbers and strong in both body and mind."

John gave a grin in response. "We're actually kind of hoping for just two or three, actually. It will be easier for us to manage that way. And we won't be waiting that long. Only a few months, actually."

This comment actually brought Thel up cold for a brief moment. He stared at John in surprise, then leaned forward. "Your woman is with child?"

John nodded. "Yes, she is."

Thel then roared with laughter. "Then this truly is a cause for celebration! I hope you don't mind if you suggest we raise a glass to this occasion."

"Not at all. I feel like I've deserved a break."

"All that and more, my friend. All that and more." With that, Thel ordered two glasses of one of the finest beverages ever produced on Sangheilios. When the drinks arrived, the Master Chief and Arbiter raised their glasses in toast.

"To you, my friend," Thel declared. "To all the good that you have done, to your joining with your beloved, and to your impending fatherhood." The two warriors touched glasses, then downed their beverages.

* * *

**Old adversaries who are now friends. I like that.**

**Anyway, I have to admit that I am running a bit low on ideas for this story (I mean, I can't keep it going forever can I?). But I will attempt to keep it going for as long as I can. At the same time, I am working on a much larger project. (However, it's Star Wars, not Halo)**

**But I will keep this going for the time being.**


	20. The Hero Returns

**Wow, it's been a while, hasn't it? Really sorry about that. Anyway, I wrote this one on a whim just last week.**

* * *

**The Hero Returns**

With the wounds he had sustained in the battle against the Jackals now fully healed, John was finally declared fit to go home. Truth be told, he would have much rather gone home sooner, and he would have been able to, given his physical capabilities, but his fellow Spartans and Lord Hood had insisted that he take the time to recuperate properly, and he grudgingly agreed.

The ship had docked at Earth. Fred, Kelly and Linda opted to stay aboard and oversee a few things, while John had caught a ride back to the surface on a Pelican. Amazingly, he had found himself sharing it with Buck the rest of his ODST squad; Dutch, Romeo, Mickey and Rookie. All of them had been rather amazed to share a ride with the legendary Master Chief, and none of them seemed to display any of the resentment that Helljumpers traditionally displayed towards them. In particular, Dutch had a look about him that indicated he may have had one or even several encounters with Spartans in the past. Encounters that had left him with a deep underlying respect for the augmented warriors.

By the time the Pelican touched down at the spaceport, the Spartan was laughing, joking and trading barbs with the whole ODST squad. When they disembarked, he saw Buck run up to a beautiful blonde woman with her hair in a ponytail and decked out in dark coloured fatigues. The two embraced each other and shared a kiss. John could only conclude that this was Buck's beloved Veronica Dare. He felt a smile tug at the corners of his mouth as he thought of his beloved Cortana, whom he had not seen in weeks. However, she had been unable to make it to the base to see him return.

After a quick checking through the customs area, John was finally cleared to go home. And he could not get there fast enough.

Unlocking and stepping through the front door of his home, John dropped his bags on the floor, and took a deep breath. It was good to be back. Throughout his life, he had always been part of the military. To him, 'home' was whatever battlefield he was fighting on, or whatever ship he had been assigned to. 'Home' had never really included a nice house and a peaceful life away from the destruction and carnage of war. Now that had all changed. Now, he was one of those soldiers who had managed to survive so that he could come home to the woman that he loved.

Stepping through the quiet house, John finally made it to the living room. Against the wall, opposite the TV set, was a long three-seater lounge. Usually, it was only occupied by him and Cortana, mainly when they snuggled up together. Now, it was just Cortana. She was lying on her side, her head propped up against a pillow, snoozing quietly.

A smile came to John's face as he looked down at his beloved wife. He knelt down on the floor beside her, and gently brushed some strands of hair away from her face. Cortana stirred a little, but did not waken. John's hand came to rest upon her abdomen, noticing the changes since the last time he saw her two months earlier. Back when she had first told him she was pregnant, she was only just starting to show. Now, her belly had swollen quite noticeably. John was sure that he felt a slight kick under his hand.

John felt so content with his life at the moment. He leaned down and gently brushed Cortana's lips with his own. Again, she stirred, but did not wake up. However, a small smile did appear on her face. And that was enough for John.

"I promised both of you that I would come back home," he whispered.

* * *

**Sweet, ain't it?**

**For the record, I actually was inspired by an ad I saw on TV. It was about workplace safety, oddly enough. In it, the guy comes back from work and finds his pregnant wife asleep on the couch, and he gives her a kiss on the forehead. Then a voice-over says "Their most important reason for workplace safety hasn't even been born yet."**

**And for some reason, I just thought it would make a good inclusion here. Of course, John's job is noticeably more dangerous than most other occupations, wouldn't you agree?  
**

**Oh, one more thing: the whole aspect about Dutch having great respect for Spartans was inspired from the end of the Legends episode "The Babysitter". And from some graphic novel I have learned about, but yet to find.  
**


	21. Legacies Honoured

**Okay everyone. I've had a change of heart. I will still be attempting my larger fics in other universes, but I have decided to keep going with this one as well. So you will still be seeing more chapters for this story here. What can I say? Your devotion just warms my heart. :)**

**Hopefully this chapter will warm yours.**

* * *

**Legacies Honoured**

Cortana grunted as another wave of agony swept through her. She was coated in a light sheen of sweat, and she struggled to breathe normally. Her hand was grasping onto John's, squeezing it tightly.

Ever since becoming human, Cortana had been eager to experience all of the new senses. In particular, touch. The ability to wrap her arms around the people she loved, to feel John's lips on hers as he kissed her and so much more. Even now, it still amazed her.

But one thing she was not so eager to feel was pain. She knew how unpleasant it was, and had witnessed it firsthand. In combat, Cortana had seen soldiers, officers and even unfortunate civilians caught in the throes of agony. Their faces contorted in twisted masks that seemed as horrific as the physical pain they were enduring.

Then came the time when she had felt pain herself, for the very first time. She had still been an AI, and John had been forced to leave her on the Flood-infested High Charity. Originally left alone, the Gravemind had come for her, demanding that she tell it all that she knew. Resisting, the organism had been forced to resort to his own methods of torture, which had actually made Cortana feel as though her holographic body was in terrible agony. For ages, she resisted, and in the process, she very nearly succumbed to an early onset of rampancy.

Then, when things had seemed their worst, HE had come back. Her chief. Her Spartan. Her John. And Cortana had found herself awash with feelings and emotions that she could not explain, but felt so wonderful nonetheless.

Thinking back, that was probably the moment where she first started to discover her own humanity. It just seemed ironic that it took a great deal of pain to bring it out.

And what was even more ironic was that this logic seemed to apply here as well.

Cortana groaned loudly as another wave of pain ripped through her being, and she found herself squeezing John's hand even tighter. So tight, that the Spartan himself actually seemed to wince ever so slightly. That was definitely no small thing, as the Spartans possessed a very high tolerance of pain.

John brought his face down to hers. "Cortana, listen to me. You can do this. I know you can. You may be human now, and thus able to actually feel pain, but I know you can get through this, because you're the toughest, most stubborn woman I have ever met. You've pulled off amazing things throughout your life, and you will get through this as well. And just like you used to watch over me, I am watching over you now."

Cortana groaned in pain as she looked up at John. The sweat was making her dark hair clump to her face, but her blue eyes shone through it all, fierce determination burning in them. "I love you, John," she managed to gasp. With that, she reached down inside herself for her last remaining reserves of strength, steeling herself for the moment.

* * *

The moment came and passed. There was no more pain, only feelings of absolute joy and happiness. And Cortana could say that the pain had definitely been worth it. She lay back against several pillows that had been propped up behind her back, and she and John both gazed down at the object she held in her arms. Wrapped in a blue blanket, their newborn son.

"He's so beautiful, isn't he?" Cortana whispered.

"He is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen," John agreed, his voice filled with emotion. "Apart from his mother, of course." Cortana giggled a little at his comment.

The boy had a soft tuft of dark hair, and his eyes were blue. Doctor Halsey had assured John and Cortana that all newborns had blue eyes, and they eventually changed to take on the colour they were meant to have. But their son's eyes seemed a brighter blue than usual, and they could already tell that they would take on the same clear blue hue as Cortana's. Right now though, those orbs were closed as the little boy slumbered in his mother's arms.

Both of the new parents found themselves in states of utter amazement. John had known nothing but war for virtually his entire life. He had spent most of his existence taking the lives of enemies. First it was fellow humans, those known as Insurrectionists. Then the various species that made up the Covenant. After that was the Flood (even though they probably never technically qualified as 'people', and were a scourge that needed to be exterminated anyway).

The point was, John had never believed that his future would ever involved him falling so deeply in love with a woman. Never imagined that he would ever become a husband. Or a father. But he was. And he would not change it for anything.

At the start of her existence, Cortana never thought that she would end up here. Especially considering that she had originally been just a computer program, comprised of nothing but lines of code and software. She was meant to be nothing but a military and scientific asset. And yet she found herself feeling emotions and desires. Her fear at going rampant. Her wish to become human. And her love for the man whom she was partnered with. The warrior who had been created to safeguard the human race, at the cost of having his own humanity essentially stripped away from him.

Then she became human, and her dreams had started to come true. She finally had a true life. A life she was able to spend with him. Humanity's greatest warrior. The Master Chief. John. The man she loved, and who loved her in return. Now she was his wife, and the mother of his child. It seemed as though life could not get any better.

John held out his arms, and Cortana handed the baby off to him very gently. Cradled in his father's muscular arms, the boy looked even smaller. But John held him with a tenderness and care that seemed a stark contrast to the actions he often undertook on the battlefield.

"Welcome to the universe, Samuel Jacob Halsey," John said softly.

Their son's name honoured two great men that John had known. Sam, his best friend from long ago, who made the ultimate sacrifice at the start of the Covenant war. The other one was Jacob Keyes, who did his best to fight of the Flood on the first Halo. They were two great men who had both made the ultimate sacrifice for the people that they cared about, and were both great influences on John's life. Cortana had always admired and respected Jacob Keyes, and though she had never met Sam, she knew his name and legacy would suit her son well.

Little Sam opened his eyes and smiled up at his father for the first time. John smiled back, and Cortana smiled at the both of them. They were family.

* * *

**This also reminds me of something I just learned a couple of hours ago. My brother and his new wife (they got married on Saturday!) are expecting a little boy. So, I'm going to have a nephew!**


	22. A Mother's Love

**Funny story, I was at my brother's wedding the other weekend, and we had the reception at this Lebanese restaurant. Ironically, one of my favourite sci-fi/fantasy bookstores was literally right around the corner, and my pre-ordered copy of 'Halo Evolutions' had just come in there! After making a call and finding out that they were literally about to close, I excused myself and sprinted over to the shop to buy the book! As I made the purchase, I told the guy I was at my brother's wedding, and he told me to wish him luck!**

**True story, seriously! Anyway, my bro and his missus didn't mind.**

**Oh, and the last chapter, where Cortana gave birth to their son Sam? Literally just a couple of hours after I posted that, my brother and his new wife came home from having an ultrasound, and guess what? They're having a boy, and they're naming him Sam!**

**How weird and cool is that?**

**Anyway, this is based upon the Evolutions story of 'Human Weakness', by Karen Traviss.**

* * *

**A Mother's Love**

When Cortana had stayed behind on the Flood-infested High Charity, it had not taken long for the Gravemind to move in on her. The insidious living embodiment of the parasite had probed into her being, attempted to twist her mind, and inflicted many forms of torture on her. Some were more insidious then others. Some even blurred or erased the line that lay between sentient machines and flesh and blood. In those, Cortana had been forced to live the final moments of many a victim of the Flood.

But the worst forms of torture that Cortana had endured had been those which had to do with the two people that were undoubtedly the most important to her. One of them was John, of course. Gravemind had forced the AI to look deeply at the relationship she shared with the Spartan. He had made her doubt that he would be coming to save her, as he promised he would. Made her wonder if he even cared about her enough to come after her.

But he did return. And the whole process had a consequence that Gravemind had probably not intended. It made Cortana realise how much she truly cared about John. How she had come to depend on him in so many ways. How much she loved him. And although John would not readily admit to such things, Cortana felt deep down that he must have felt the same way.

The other person the parasite had tormented her about was the woman who had created her. Dr Catherine Halsey. He had made it seem as though the doctor cared nothing for her construct. That she had intentionally made her the way she was; a being with the heart, mind and emotions of a human being, but with no physical body, and a severely limited lifespan. Gravemind had evoked emotions deep within Cortana; ones that caused her to rage at the Doctor, one that made her want to question why she was made the way she was.

After being rescued and reunited with their friends, including Dr Halsey herself, Cortana had managed to put such thoughts out of her mind. And yet, they lingered there, like an itch that would go away if the person would just stop scratching, but were simply unable to do so. When Halsey had presented them with the project in which Cortana would become human, the AI had felt absolutely happy, and yet the questions still lingered. It got to a point where she simply had to get some answers. To that end, she had cornered the good doctor in her office one afternoon, appearing on the holo projector.

* * *

"Exactly why are you doing this?"

"What?" Catherine was thrown by the question suddenly thrown at her by Cortana.

"I mean, why are you going through the whole process of creating a clone body for me to live in? Are you doing it out of some form of duty, or perhaps guilt? You felt so bad over what you did to me that you try to make amends?" Cortana's normally blue form was starting to shift in colour, becoming a darker purple. If her attitude continued along this line, it would soon be tinted red.

Catherine was still flustered. "What I did to you? What could you possibly be talking about, Cortana?"

"Don't play coy with me, doctor," Cortana snapped. "You specifically created me to be just like a human being, yet be deprived of the ability to actually physically feel anything. And I only have seven years of life! Did you ever even think of me as a person at all? Is that why you're doing this little project? So that I will forget all of this, with my conveniently inferior human brain? What about those memories of mine that you intentionally erased? I don't suppose your excuse is that you tried to protect me from something, is it?"

"Cortana, what are you going on about?" Catherine demanded. Her voice was hard and firm, and it was enough to halt Cortana in her little rant.

Cortana calmed down slightly, her holographic hue returning to its normal blue colour. "When I was being held captive on High Charity, the Gravemind made me think certain things. I wanted to believe that it was all part of his torture method, but some of what he said actually made sense."

Catherine's eyebrows raised. "You are taking the word of some giant talking plant? Come on, Cortana. I've only had limited experience with the Flood, and I never met this Gravemind, but can you really believe what he told you? He was probably just trying to break you. That's what all torturers do." Catherine stopped and regarded the AI, her own creation, with a suspicious look. "What exactly did he tell you?"

Cortana looked down, then back up, a slightly ashamed look on her holographic face. "He told me that you did not care about me. That you intentionally made me with all the emotions and desires of a human being, but without a body, and that I would only live for seven years before dying. I know you felt regret over what you did to the Spartans; kidnapping them, experimenting on them, and so forth. And yet it seemed as though you did not care about what you did to me." This actually made Catherine gasp in shock. "I found it so shocking to see my creator, my mother, in such a harsh light."

Catherine felt a guilty pain in her chest. Here was someone who would not be considered a 'real' person, and yet possessed thoughts and feelings as real as the chair the doctor currently sat in. Cortana was without a doubt the smartest and most powerful Artificial Intelligence the UNSC ever possessed, and yet her greatest fear was that her mother did not love her.

Cortana continued speaking. "And Gravemind actually brought to my attention that you had actually deleted a large amount of data from my memory banks. I didn't want to believe him, but a quick check confirmed that you did. It just made me believe even more that you did not care for me. That I had let you down in some way, which in turn caused you to let me down."

Catherine gazed down at the AI. "And this is causing you to believe that I am simply giving you the chance to become human out of some form of guilt?"

Cortana shrugged. "That was not what I always thought, but yes. I was just thinking to myself a few minutes ago, and these memories came up, causing me to go all crazy. They wouldn't go away, so I decided to come in here and get some answers." Now, Cortana's fierce anger seemed to have abated, and she just seemed tired. She looked at the ground as if she was guilty, afraid to look her mother in the eyes.

With a sigh, Catherine removed her glasses, placing them on the table next to her. She looked directly at the sullen AI on the pedestal. "Cortana," she said softly. Receiving no response, she tried again. "Cortana, look at me." This time, the AI looked up at her, sadness displayed in her eyes.

"I will admit that I did erase some data. But I did it because I was afraid that you would suffer from an early onset of rampancy. You already had a great deal of information, and I just wanted to ease some of your burden." Looking into the doctor's eyes, Cortana saw that she was telling the truth. She had deleted some of her data to save her. The AI felt a smile start to tug at the corners of her mouth.

"And don't you worry about these things that Gravemind told you. They are not true. Yes, I did feel a great deal of regret towards what I did to the Spartans, and I originally did see you as just an AI to help me out, but over time that changed. In you, I saw a piece of myself. Something that I had created, yet was her own person. That is the same thing with any other parent. There were many times after you went off with John that I found myself worried to death about the both of you!" Catherine smiled at Cortana. "John may be my star pupil, and I do look upon him as something of a son. But you, Cortana… you are my child."

At this, Cortana could swear that she felt some warm feeling spreading throughout her being.

"And there are numerous reasons as to why I am making you human. I could see the bond between you and John. I knew that the two of you were meant for each other, and after all the good that the two of you had done, you both deserved some happiness. More to that, I did not want to see my only child fade out of existence." A tear began to emerge in the corner of one of Catherine's eyes. "I am so proud of you, Cortana. And I love you very much." She made a sound as though she was choking back a sob. "That is why I am doing this. I want to give you a chance to live the life that I believe you truly deserve to live."

A horrible feeling of guilt washed over the AI, and she felt as though she was about to break down into sobs herself. She looked up at the doctor, the woman who created her. "I'm so sorry, Mum. I just…" she sighed. "I never meant to hurt you in any way." She looked down, still overwhelmed. Then she looked back up. "Well, at least I know what is the very first thing I will do when I become human."

Catherine looked at her, wiping the tears from her eyes. "What is that?"

Cortana smiled. "I'm going to give my mother a big hug and tell her how much I love her."

Nothing could have stopped the smile that broke out on Catherine Halsey's face.

And when Cortana became human, that was the first thing she did.

* * *

Cortana lay back, looking over at the chair next to her bed. Her mother sat in it, gently cradling her newborn grandson. Catherine looked up at her daughter, and the two exchanged a smile. They both knew how powerful and unconditional a mother's love for her child could be. Catherine loved her daughter Cortana, and Cortana loved her son Sam.

That was all that really mattered.

* * *

**I have to admit: my attitude towards Karen Traviss has not been favourable for the last few years. She was one of the authors of a recent Star Wars series which only served to continue the butchering of many of my favourite characters, including the killing of one of them in one of her books, and her apparent obsession with Boba Fett got a little too much. And learning that she was writing some books based on another one of my favourite game series 'Gears of War' served merely to increase my annoyance.**

**So naturally, having her write the story where Cortana was held prisoner by Gravemind, and eventually being rescued by John actually made me slightly sick. However, she actually did such a decent job that I am willing to overlook what she has done in the past and give her another chance. In 'Human Weakness', she highlighted the emotions that Cortana felt towards Dr Halsey, and she actually referred to her as her mother for the first time (that I can recall). Therefore, I was tempted to write this.**

**Karen Traviss, if you are reading this, just remember that I am watching you...**

**Anyway, to my regular readers, hope you enjoyed this!  
**


	23. Mark on the Universe

**Hey guys, sorry it's been so long since I last updated, but I've been otherwise occupied.**

**There is only a few more chapters left, so this will be wrapped up soon. Sorry, but there are other projects I wish to devote my time to. But that does not change the fact that I have enjoyed writing this just as much as you have enjoyed reading it.**

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Mark on the Universe

Being a Spartan, John understandably had senses that were higher and more acute than the average person. With these abilities, he was able to pick out a single sound in the middle of a cacophony of noises, which in most cases was the constant sound of guns and bombs going off.

So it was no surprise that he picked up the sound before Cortana did.

John was up and out of bed as soon as he heard the first whimper, usually a sign that it would eventually escalate into a cry. Crossing the room in just a few shirt steps, he stood at the side of the crib and reached down to carefully pick up his small son. Amazingly, once the tiny infant was safely cradled against his father's muscled chest, he immediately stopped crying.

A small chuckle escaped the Spartan's mouth. "So, that's why you woke me up, and nearly woke your mother too. You just wanted a cuddle with Daddy, huh?" Although, the boy did not answer, John could swear he saw a small smile tug at the edge of the boy's mouth.

Sighing contently, John walked over to the window, gently rocking his son while he did so. Gazing out at the black night sky and the stars that managed to shine through it, he spoke softly to his child. "You know Sam, a few centuries ago, the stars seemed so far away, so unreachable to the human race. Then we managed to break free from our homeworld and we started to explore them. Sometimes we did not like what we find." He stopped speaking as he was suddenly reminded of the horrors of the war against the Covenant, the terror of the Flood, the sadness over the loss of so many of his comrades. Little Sam seemed to notice the downturn in his father's demeanour. He reached out with his tiny fist, touching John's chest. That little contact was enough to bring the Spartan back, and he smiled again.

"But that doesn't make the universe any less of an interesting, fascinating and beautiful place to be," John continued. He looked down at Sam. "I can't help but wonder what sort of mark you will make on the universe." Sam obviously found the question funny, because he started giggling, and that caused John to start chuckling as well.

From the bed, a weary Cortana had awoken and managed to watch and listen to the heart-warming moment between father and son. And all she could do was smile.

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**Hope you liked this.**


	24. Flowers

**Hey, I'm back! Sorry for the wait, I've been distracted lately.**

**Anyway, since I am speeding things up a little, this particular chapter takes place a couple of years later than the last one. But I think you will like it.**

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**Flowers**

John stalked through the garden, his steps both deliberate and careful. Despite all the time he spent in armour that weighed half a ton, he had learned from early on in his life as a soldier how to be silent and light on his feet. How to set them down so quietly, his enemies would not know he was upon them until it was too late.

Spying his target at the edge of the garden, hunched over one particular type of plant, John zeroed in on him, continuing his silent advance.

The target was smaller than most of the adversaries that John had faced so far. Smaller even than a grunt. Or maybe the same size. The grunts did wear breathing tanks that were nearly as big as they were after all, which made them seem bigger than they usually were.

In fact, the only enemy that John could remember that was actually smaller was one of those Flood infection forms. Here, John repressed a shudder. It had been many years since he had last encountered the parasite, and firing the replacement ring at the Ark had ensured it's destruction, but even now the Flood remained a particularly unpleasant memory. He shook it off, and continued moving towards his victim.

The small creature remained bent over the same particular plant in the garden, seeming to remain totally oblivious to the fact that the Spartan was now almost on top of it. John loomed over his target, his arms spread wide, ready to strike…

And at the last minute, the little boy jumped up and raced away as fast as his little legs could carry him, his cherub-like laughter floating in the air. A smile came to John's face, and he chased after him. Closing the distance in just a few of the Spartan's long steps, John reached down, and swept his son up into his arms, lifting him up in the air, and earning another laugh from him.

"Sam Halsey, what do you think you are doing out here?" John asked his son as he brought him to the same level as his face.

"I'm picking flowers for Mummy and little sister," the two-year-old boy replied, his bright blue eyes glowing with mischief. He held out his fist, showing his father the yellow sunflowers clenched in them.

John beamed, his eyes soft. "Well, I think Mummy will like them. But I'm afraid you can't ask you little sister, because she hasn't been born yet."

"When will that be?" Sam asked in pure childlike innocence.

"Soon," John replied. He placed his son on his shoulders behind his head. "Now come on, Mummy's waiting for us up at the house." From his position on his father's shoulders, Sam let out a cheer.

From the back deck, Cortana stood watching the two most important men in her life. She had a smile on her face, and a hand resting on her pregnant belly. She felt a kick, and she gave her stomach a loving stroke.

John came up to his wife, and bent down so that their son was at the same height as her face. Sam thrust out his fist, the flowers clenched in them. "These are for you and lil' sister, Mummy."

Cortana laughed as she took the flowers from her son's hand. "Thank you, dear, they're beautiful," she said, leaning forward to plant a kiss on her son's forehead. After that, John straightened up, and began striding around the yard, earning cheers and laughs from Sam who saw it as some kind of ride.

"I feel sorry for any boys who may eventually come asking you for a date, as they'll have to contend with not just your big, bad Spartan of a dad, but your big brother too," Cortana whispered to her unborn daughter, who gave another kick, as if in response. Cortana's smile only grew wider.

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**For the record, I actually got this idea from another fic. Anyway, anybody got any ideas as to what the little girl's name will be? Well, don't bother wondering, because here's the next chapter...**


	25. Daughter

**Like I said, here's the next chapter!**

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**Daughter**

Catherine Halsey sat in the chair next to the hospital bed, where Cortana currently lay sleeping, still a bit tired from the birth. Cortana's two-year-old son Sam sat in the chair next to Catherine. He was sound asleep, and snuggled up next to her.

Catherine's eyes were currently on the figure on the opposite side of the bed. Her son-in-law, John, was walking back and forth very softly, while gently whispering to the tiny bundle in his arms. Wrapped in a pink blanket, his newborn daughter, Joy Miranda Halsey.

John and Cortana had given their daughter Miranda as her second name to honour Miranda Keyes, a person, officer and friend they both admired. Her death had affected the both of them as much as her father's had. As for Joy, they both liked the name, and it also described the feeling they had when she was born, so it seemed to fit very well.

Catherine found herself scrutinizing John. This man, who more closely resembled a walking tank when wearing his MJOLNIR armour, had always been her personal favourite of all the Spartans, and she loved him like a son. He had always possessed a strong bond with Cortana, his former AI partner who was, in every respect, Catherine's daughter. And when Cortana had gotten her human body, she and John had married soon afterwards, essentially making John her son-in-law. Now the two of them had given her two grandchildren. Catherine already doted on Sam endlessly, and she planned to do the same with Joy.

Looking at John with Joy, Catherine could not help but feel amazed. In battle, John had handled a great deal of weapons and armaments, both human and otherwise. The actions of firing and reloading a weapon came as natural to him as breathing and walking. Thousands of aliens had died by those hands. And yet, those very same hands just as naturally held his daughter with great care and tenderness. The same gravely voice that barked orders to soldiers in combat just as easily whispered soft, soothing words to the little girl. Simply put, the same deadly soldier that made enemies tremble, who had killed thousands of Covenant soldiers, exterminated countless Flood forms, and saved the human race more than once, had also proved himself to be a tender and loving father. He had already done a remarkable job with Sam, and it seemed inevitable that he would do the same with Joy.

John walked around the bed to Catherine's side. "Could you hold her please?" he asked her. "I've just got to step out for a moment." Catherine nodded, and John tenderly placed Joy in her arms. He gave his daughter a quick kiss on the forehead, whispered, "I'll be right back, my little Joy," and stepped out.

Catherine looked down at her granddaughter, softly cooing to her. She held out her finger, and Joy reached out, wrapping her entire hand around the tip of her grandmother's finger. This earned a loving smile from Catherine. She then looked up and noticed that Cortana was awake and looking at them.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" said Cortana, with a smile on her face. "Almost unbelievable. He's the greatest and deadliest warrior the human race has ever known, with perhaps the biggest personal body count in history, and yet, when it comes to his daughter, the man is a complete and utter mush-ball." The two Halsey women had to have a laugh at that. Even Joy seemed to give a happy gurgle in agreement.

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**And I got this from ANOTHER fic (ironically about the same couple, who never actually got together, hmm)...**

**Anyway, I got Joy because several people have actually made fics where John and Cortana had a daughter named Joy, so I figured I'd join the crowd. And the tribute to Miranda seemed necessary, wouldn't you agree?**

**Random thought: I always thought that if Cortana became human, but Miranda survived, they would be pretty close friends, wouldn't they? Kind of a shame when you think about it.**

**Ah well, till next time.**


	26. Halloween

**Hey guys. First of all, to those who wish for me to keep going, I am so sorry, but I'm afraid that I simply ran out of steam on this thing. Plus, I've got other projects that I wish to devote my attention to. I know that these last few chapters have lots of gaps in them, but I did the best I could. Hope you don't mind.**

**Anyway, here's another one.**

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**Halloween**

Even after all these centuries, Halloween was a practice that was still widely celebrated. Originally it was only practised across North America, but in the late 20th and early 21st Centuries it started to spread across the rest of Earth, and when the human race started to expand to other planets in other star systems, they carried their customs with them.

And after the war with the Covenant had finished, many of the races that were now aligned with the humans found themselves exploring and experiencing human customs. In particular, Halloween proved to be one of the more popular ones among the Sangheili youths, and the Unggoy seemed quite enthusiastic about it.

So when Halloween rolled around this particular year, young humans, Unggoy and Sangheili, many of them accompanied by a parent or guardian, were found strolling the streets in costumes of all sorts, carrying bags with which to collect their sweet bounties, knocking on doors and uttering the age-old phrase of "Trick or treat!".

In particular, one man walked with his two children down the street. He was dressed in civvies, but the young ones were in costume. Not only that, but their costumes were that of two of the human race's most important heroes.

The boy was wearing a miniature mock-up of the MJOLNIR armour worn by the legendary Spartans. It was only made of hardened lightweight plastic, but it looked almost like the real deal. If the Spartans were only a few feet tall, that is. Even the helmet looked authentic, complete with the reflective orange visor. The main difference being that the boy could easily slip it on and off, which would have been a handy asset if he chose to quickly pop it off in order to wolf down some sweets.

The little girl's outfit was a little bit simpler. She wore a jumpsuit that was mostly blue, and appeared to have holographic transcriptions running down it. Her face had been painted a light blue, and her hair was coloured blue as well, though in a darker shade than her face.

The little boy was the legendary soldier known to many as the Master Chief, and the little girl was the Chief's former AI partner, Cortana. And they were simply out trick-or-treating with their father.

The man stood back as his children knocked on the door to the next house. As the door opened, the little ones declared "Trick or treat!", and held their bags out in expectation.

At the door stood two individuals, a human male and his Sangheili friend. They each deposited some sweets into the bags of the two children. The Sangheili in particular complimented them on their choice of costume. "The Demon and his Construct," he said admiringly. "Or, as you call them, the Master Chief and Cortana. Two great heroes of the human race. I'm sure that they would be rather impressed with your costumes." The two children looked at each other and shared a conspiratorial giggle.

After bidding the two adults goodbye, the boy and girl rejoined their father, and the three continued their trek. After a few steps, the boy pulled off his helmet, turned to his father and asked, "Did you hear that, Dad? They thought we really looked like you and Mum!"

John gave a laugh and ruffled his son's hair. "Well, Sam, what can I say? You do make a very good Master Chief." The boy grinned widely. John turned to his daughter. "And as for you, Joy, you look just as pretty as your mother."

Joy gave a shy giggle. "But Mummy's not a hollygram anymore, Daddy."

"_Holo_gram," John corrected her. "No, she's not, but even then, she was still beautiful. Just as you are now."

Joy blushed before dropping her bag and throwing her arms around her father's waist. "Thanks Daddy."

John smiled at both of his children, and the three of them continued their trip. After all, the night was still young, and there were many more houses left to visit.

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**Seriously though, I wish Halloween was more popular in Australia. On TV, you see that in America all these kids go out dressed up getting treats, and I missed out on all that! And every time I suggest that we have a Halloween party to my friends and family, I am met with indifference! That sucks!**

**Oh well, I know it's still a month early, but I hope that all those who DO celebrate Halloween, have a good one next month!**

**Just three more posts, and I'm finished. The next one takes place when Sam and Joy have grown up. Seriously though, I am so sorry for the major gaps.  
**


	27. Just Like His Father, Part I

**Getting close to the end now. Again, sorry for the sudden jumps in between. But most of you are probably used to them by now. I'm just someone who tends to apologize quite profusely, I guess.  
**

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**Just Like His Father, Part I**

Cortana could only shake her head. As proud as she was of her children, there were times when she felt like slapping some sense into them, particularly her son. In hindsight, it should have been pretty obvious from the beginning that any child of the Master Chief and Cortana would be as tough and headstrong, if not outright stubborn, as their parents, and that clearly showed through now.

Samuel Halsey stood with his parents and sister, clad in his newly issued combat uniform, ready to go off and fight the latest war that the UNSC seemed to have found itself in. It seemed that the Covenant War did not signal the end of all wars. That would have been too short sighted. Instead, some new insurgency had risen up, and the UNSC's latest generation had to do their part to keep the peace.

Of course, it was not as if Sam had joined up to fight. He simply wanted to do a brief military career that slightly followed in the steps of his famous father, then use the money he got from it to go to university and do something less violent. But then this latest insurgency had sprung up, and he got drafted.

"I guess I should have expected you to do something like this, right?" John asked as he pulled his son into an embrace. He pulled back and looked the young man in the eye. "You sure you're not doing this to try and outdo your old man? I mean, it's going to be hard to do that, considering the career that I had…"

"Dad!" Sam groaned, knowing full well that his father was only ribbing him.

"Don't listen to him," Cortana said as she gave her son a tight hug. "He's just worried about you. We all are."

"I know," replied Sam. "I just hope that his famous luck manages to rub off on me in some way." He turned to Joy. "And I hope that you are not dumb enough to follow me into soldiering, sis. I may be doing this, but that doesn't mean I want my little sister to do it as well."

Joy gave a roguish grin. "Hey, we all know that I've got Mum's intelligence, and I'm planning to use that for my career. The military needs knuckleheads like you on the ground." Sam replied with an indignant noise, then gave his sister a hug as well. "Be careful, bro," Joy whispered.

Afterwards, Sam gathered his equipment and stepped onto the dropship. As the door closed, he gave his family one last wave goodbye. The ship then lifted off. Cortana felt a tear in her eye, and John's arm comfortingly went around her shoulders.

"Hey, he'll be okay," he told his wife.

Cortana nodded. "I know," she replied. "At least I hope he will be. After all, this is war." She sighed. "Still, he's just like his father, so I'm sure he will have luck on his side."

John nodded. After a moment, he spoke up. "Why do you believe that him being like me is a good thing?"

Cortana and Joy both burst out laughing, and John happily joined in.

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**Chip off the old block, isn't he?**

**Part II coming soon...**


	28. Just Like His Father, Part II

**Sorry to keep you all waiting. Here's Part II**

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**Just Like His Father, Part II**

People died in war. It was the simple nature of things. Even a small conflict such as the latest insurrection was no exception. People died, and whenever that happened, somebody somewhere lost a friend or family member that they cared about. Even those on the other side had people that they loved, and they felt the pain when they died.

It seemed even worse when a person saw someone die right in front of them. People continued to die, and yet that person would just keep wishing and praying that they would not be next, that they would somehow survive the fighting and go back home. And when they got hurt, it would seem like an immense shock, as if they had been reminded of their own mortality, the fragile nature of their very existence. And they would wish to live, if not for themselves, then for their friends and family, just so they would not have to go through the pain and trauma of losing a loved one, and the lingering hurt of knowing that they would never see them again.

But for those who had a loved one being seriously injured, and waiting to know if they will even survive, the wait is just as painful…

John paced up and down the hall. Dimly he wondered if it was indeed possible for someone to wear a long, narrow hole in the floor from constant pacing. Sure, they may have shown that on cartoons and comedies, but that was different. Shaking his head, he realised that such thoughts were simply distracting him from the matter at hand. He turned to his wife.

Cortana was sitting in one of the chairs, her body as stiff as a board, her hands twitching from extreme nervousness, and her face seemed frozen into one of intense worry. It looked as though she would only relax when somebody came out and gave her good news. If the news was bad… well, John simply did not want to think about it.

As if to answer his question, the door opened and a doctor stepped through. Cortana whipped her head around to face him. Her intense face relaxed into one of relief when she saw the smile on the doctor's face. John felt himself start to relax too.

"Sam is fine," the doctor replied. "The bullet just grazed his jugular, and we were able to fix it. We also removed all the pieces of shrapnel. He's recovering well and he's awake now."

Cortana gave the biggest sigh of relief in her entire life, and John went to put his arms around her in a comforting embrace. "Can we see him?" he asked.

"Of course," the doctor replied. "In fact, he asked if he could see you." He gestured into the room, and John and Cortana entered.

Sam lay in the bed, his neck and other parts of his body wrapped in bandages, and an IV drip was in his left arm. Despite his obvious pain, he managed to give his parents a reassuring grin. "Hi Mum, hi Dad," he said somewhat cheerfully.

Cortana sat down next to her boy and held his hand comfortingly. "How are you feeling, dear?" she asked softly.

"Better than before," Sam grunted. "Damn sniper got me in the neck, and I'm on the ground. Some guy comes over to help me and a grenade takes him out. I got some of the shrapnel, but he shielded me from the rest." He sighed. "He gave his life for mine. It's a debt that I'll never be able to repay." Sam seemed very sorrowful about that.

"You'll find a way, son," John said, as he placed a reassuring hand on his son's shoulder.

Sam nodded. "How's Joy? Does she know?"

"She does. She's on her way down, and will be here tomorrow," Cortana answered. She felt herself start to get choked up, and she reached over to brush some of Sam's hair off his face. "You know, you really are lucky, Sam."

Sam grinned. "What can I say? I'm just like my dad!"

Cortana laughed, and all John could do was grin proudly.

* * *

**Chip off the old block, ain't he? Don't worry, Sam will be just fine. He's tough like his old man.**

**Well, I've got just one more chapter to go. It's sad that this is coming to an end, but I'd like to think I've had a good run with this.**


	29. Together to the End

**Well, here it is: the end. I was almost putting it off because I didn't want to admit that my story was over. Oh well, I suppose all good things must come to an end eventually.**

* * *

**Together to the End**

Growing up, John had always been surrounded by death in one form or another. He had seen countless numbers of enemies fall before him, many of which had their lives taken by John himself. First had been Insurrectionists and various pirates and rebels. Then had come the Covenant, and John had spilt blood from a wide variety of colours and species over the course of nearly three decades. Then there was the Flood, but that was another matter entirely. And there had been a lot of people on his side that had paid the ultimate price, leaving behind people who had cared about them.

And yet, through it all, John had managed to survive. Managed to live through the terrible conflict that was the UNSC-Covenant War, and those years spent in cryo floating through space. Why? Well, as Cortana had told him many times, he was just lucky. And yet, none of that managed to change the fact that war had been all he knew. It was all he had been raised upon, and it seemed peace was a concept he would never be able to grasp. Would he ever be able to make such a transition?

In her experience, Cortana had been forced to confront mortality as well. There had been times when she had been forced to take lives as well, usually not through brute force, as the Spartans tended to do, but through finesse and intelligence. Being hooked into the system of an enemy vessel, she could have detected large numbers of Covenant heading their way, and for her, it was a simple matter of opening up a few key doors and flushing them out into space. And that was just one example.

But for the first seven years of her own life, Cortana had been constantly reminded of the fact that that particular stretch of time was all she would have. That her constant craving for data and information would inevitably cause her to go rampant and shut down. It ate away at her core that she would never be able to enjoy the simple facts of life that most people took for granted: experiencing the tastes and smells, or being able to touch anything. Worst of all, she would never be able to be with the man she loved with her entire being. Her John.

Two souls, one flesh and bone encased in steel, and the other composed of lines of coding. And yet, those very souls were supposed to be together. To the very end. But how?

And then the answer came when Cortana had been given her own body, and thus these two individuals began their second lives. Lives not of war, but of peace. Ones that included not fighting and killing, but simply living and being happy. The peace that they had fought for, that so many of their friends and comrades had died for, now reigned across the Earth, and what few human colonies remained. The time of rebuilding had begun, and John and Cortana built their own life with each other.

The remaining Spartan II's; Fred, Kelly and Linda, had been John's comrades-in-arms since he was six years old. But now that their soldiering careers were over, what were they to be? Well, simply friends, of course! Barely a month would go by without one or more of the former Spartans dropping by John and Cortana's place for a visit. Food and drink were consumed, conversation was made, and merriment was all around. Even the Spartan III's became a fixture. Despite being a different breed to their predecessors, they were nonetheless accepted as brothers and sisters. Then there were ones like Fhajad, who had been crippled by the augmentation process. Or Maria, who had retired to marry and start a family. Or the three members of Grey Team; Jai, Mike and Adrianna. All were accepted.

Astoundingly, many members of the ODST would become good friends. Particularly, Buck and his friends would pop around and pay a visit, and whenever that happened, it seemed as though the whole rivalry between the two groups did not exist. If anything, it was the start of a new relationship. Before long, it was quite common to see Spartans and ODSTs supporting each other in combat and watching each other's back. And to think it all started with to men talking to each other in the sick bay.

Even the Arbiter would visit, usually when he was on the planet for a diplomatic reason. Nonetheless, Thel'Vadamee and John would reminisce on the missions where they had watched each other's back. Two adversaries forced to depend upon each other, and in the end, a friendship was forged, which would carry through for many decades to come.

Then there were others who had continued to guide the Spartans, such as Lord Hood. He had led them into combat, and then proceeded to help them adjust to peace. All looked up to him, and even John and Cortana's children would see him as a grandfatherly figure. And, of course, Cortana would never forget that it was Lord Hood who walked her down the aisle on her wedding day. He passed on before all the others, and a great service was held for him. Many of the Sangheili, including Thel, paid their respects as well.

And Chief Mendez, the one who had trained the Spartans. Any hard feelings had long been forgotten, and they all continued to support him throughout the years. At family gatherings, he was always one to spin tales of his own military experiences, and of the hassles that the 'hooligan Spartan children' caused him. Needless to say, these anecdotes always drew laughs and evoked fond memories of absent friends.

Tragically, the career soldier that Mendez was, it seemed inevitable that he would meet his end in combat, and this eventually came when the UNSC fleet did battle with a hardcore band of pirates harassing the newer colonies. Mendez would sacrifice his ship in a last ditch attempt to take out the pirate base, destroying it and the enemy in one final blow. Many would mourn his passing, but his final act earned him the Medal of Honour posthumously.

And there was Doctor Catherine Halsey. Even after all these years, she still felt guilt over having deprived the Spartans of their childhood. But they had long since forgiven her, and often credited the good doctor for having given them weapons and abilities to fight the Covenant. She had been a mother to them all, and they loved her for it. And there had been no denying the special bond that she had shared with John. He was the one amongst the Spartans in which she had placed much of her hope; her star pupil. Catherine could admit that she had been absolutely proud to have him as a son-in-law.

But it was Cortana who had loved the good doctor the most. If it had not been for Catherine, then she would simply have never existed. It was out of her mind that the AI had originally sprung, with the doctor's extensive intelligence and wit, and yet being her own person. Then when the day had come when Cortana had become a human, her cloned body being made with Catherine's DNA. The day that Cortana could truly be called Catherine's daughter; a title that she carried with great pride, even going so far as to adopt her surname as her own. Her mother had given her so much, and Cortana could not thank her enough.

When Catherine Elisabeth Halsey had passed away, she had been lying in her bed, surrounded by her family. Her daughter and son-in-law, her grandchildren, and all of the other Spartans who had looked up to her for so long; those whom she had been proud to be a surrogate mother towards throughout both the easiest and harshest of times. When the good doctor finally breathed her final breath, her final vision had been that of her family surrounding her.

Everyone mourned that day, and not a day did not go by when they did not miss Catherine Halsey, her guidance, and her love. But through her daughter, her surrogate children, and her grandchildren, her legacy continued to thrive greatly.

As for John and Cortana, they continued to grow old together, and they watched their children Sam and Joy grow into the fine young people that they knew they would become. Sam decided to join the UNSC military, but opted to become an officer, serving with honour and distinction worthy of his father's legacy. He never felt ashamed of being compared to his father, rather he was greatly honoured and proud of being his son, and strove hard in everything he did.

Joy followed the path of her grandmother. Using the intelligence she had inherited from her and Cortana, she got the highest marks possible in nearly course and subject, graduating at the top of her class. Using her finely honed academic abilities, she became one of the lead scientists behind the newest group of Spartans, but unlike her father, aunts and uncles, they were not kidnapped as children. Rather, they were people who volunteered for the program. The original process was one that needed to be done before puberty, but Joy came up with a new method that allowed augmentations to be done at virtually any stage with nearly zero percent failure rate.

Catherine Halsey had still been alive at this point, and words could not describe how unbelievably proud she was of her granddaughter.

As Sam and Joy grew older, they eventually found partners of their own, married and had children; who were absolutely doted upon by their grandparents John and Cortana. The former Spartan and AI soon began to live a more quiet life, though still making more than enough time for their friends and family.

But as time grew on, John started to feel his age creep up on him, and the many scars and wounds he had sustained in the wars (which had never really bothered him in the course of his life) began to pain him. Cortana herself was also feeling her body start to deteriorate; it had been a much more gradual rate than her original descent into rampancy when she had still been a construct. For both of them, simple tasks became more of a chore, and they both knew that their time was starting to run out. What had once been only a few years had stretched out to many joy-filled decades, and neither would have traded it for anything in the universe.

Both of them eventually became bedridden. It actually did not seem like much of a shock to those who knew them well; John and Cortana were essentially two halves of the same soul, and when one started to pass on, it was inevitable that the other would follow. Their friends and family all came to see them, paying their respects, and knowing that the beloved members of their family, the great warrior and great intellect, were sadly not long for this universe. John and Cortana both managed to say that there was nothing to regret; they fought the wars they were meant to fight, and in return, they got to live the lives they were meant to live. They had a family that they loved dearly, and there was nothing more that they could have asked for.

One night, the two of them were lying together, when Cortana noticed that John had gone quiet. Looking at her husband, she realised that he had passed away. Instead of crying, she simply smiled and lightly touched the coin that she still wore around her neck, the one that her mother had given him, and the thing that had ultimately brought them together. "You're not leaving me behind this time, John," she said softly. She then leaned over painstakingly and planted one final kiss on his lips, then laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. Within moments, she had passed away as well.

The two of them were buried together, the funeral overseen by many, many people. Not just family and friends, but those in the service who continued to look up to them; Marines, officers, scientists, newer Spartans, ODSTs, Sangheili, and many more.

But even as time went by after their passing, those that knew them remembered a story that John and Cortana told. How when he was young, he used to look up at the stars with wonder. And how on the day when she first became human, he and Cortana had looked up at the stars together, and underneath them they had shared their first kiss. John had said that if Cortana were a star, she would be the brightest and most beautiful in the sky. Many people believe that they are up there in the sky together, two bright stars continuing to shine brightly.

Together to the very end.

* * *

**Well, that's it. A life well lived, I believe. I would like to thank everybody who read my story and gave reviews. I used to be somebody who was very uncertain about his abilities to write, but you are the ones who picked me up and encouraged me to continue, and for that, I cannot thank you enough. Your support is what made this all the more possible.**

**As for my other projects, I am now working on a series of stories set in the NJO era of the Star Wars universe (though an altered version, since I despise the NJO series and everything that came after it chronologically, with the possible exception of the Legacy comics, which I admittedly have yet to read), and my stories include an adversary from another sci-fi brand. Can't say whom though, as it might spoil the story. (wink, wink)**

**Don't worry, though. I plan on returning to Halo someday. I mean, how could I not?**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading "A New Life Together" as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

**PS: If you feel compelled to write any stories set in this particular little number, by all means, feel free to do so. Just be so kind as to PM me first, thanks.**

**PPS: Also, I did have a chapter that I removed due to its content. It's called 'Hangover' (three guesses what it's about). It's not exactly racy, but I took it out because I did not want to have to bump up the story's ratings. It's actually kind of funny in a grownup way. If you want me to send it to you, please PM me. Thank you.**

**And remember, true fans are like Spartans; THEY NEVER DIE!**


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